By Dominique Silva. They creep and crawl, dwelling among the shadows of your landscape. Beware loamy lurkers, nature’s wicked winged things and prowlers that sting. It’s that time of year when the sun sets sooner, there’s a chill in the mornings, the leaves are finally changing colors — all signals of spooky season.

Whether it comes from horror movies or terrifying tales ‘round the campfire, here’s some landscape lore to beware of …

Frightening fungi of Texas

There’s a popular streaming series and video game that centers around the world of fungi and a fungus that morphs humans into a zombie-like fungus monster.

Of course, it’s set in a fictional world, but what if I told you that right here in Texas — and in San Antonio — there’s some fierce fungi that can harm your yard, if you’re not prepared.

Fall brown patch stalks any of the local turfgrasses — St. Augustine, Bermuda and zoysia — on warm and humid autumn days. Signs include circular patches of thin brown and yellow grass with rotting sheaths, often in a telltale ring pattern.

Powdery mildew thrives in warm days and cooler nights. Several popular trees and plants are susceptible, including crape myrtles, roses and zinnias.

Take-all patch is the fungus most homeowners dread. Usually making its appearance in spring and early summer, it can appear any time of year, especially in hot and humid locations where grass is already stressed. And it thrives in St. Augustine grass. You’ll notice yellow patches that turn brown/black even when you’re watering routinely.

When grass is stressed in a normal San Antonio summer, let alone a six-year drought, it can fall victim to many pathogens. Still, avoiding these fungi in the first place is the best way to keep them away. Just avoid over-watering and nighttime watering, avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer, and keep grass mowed the appropriate height, with good air circulation.

They lurk beneath

They creep and crawl, hidden from the surface world, dwelling in the pitch darkness of shadows.  Not wanting to be discovered in their abyss of solace and solitude, what lurks beneath in the shadows may have multiple limbs, many eyes, and poisonous fangs and stingers, and some have wings.

There can be one or many, but once they’re revealed, they need to be handled carefully. They’re the creatures you may find when you lift the lid of your water meter.

Fire ants – Usually located in moist, dark sheltered areas, meter boxes are an ideal location for fire ants. They’re very aggressive, defending their nests when disturbed, swarming and attacking anything deemed as a threat. Their bites burn and cause blisters. If your lawn has chinch bugs, it may also attract fire ants, a natural predator of chinch bugs.

Black Widow – The dark shelter of the water meter often attracts other insects like ants, wasps and cockroaches, all of them food sources for the black widow spider. Exercise extreme caution if you find one. They’re usually timid and nocturnal, but when they feel threatened, they may bite to defend their web. Black widows are poisonous so be sure to seek immediate medical attention if you are bitten.

Cockroaches – Another insect that loves dark moist sheltered environments, cockroaches tend to dwell in large numbers.

Snakes – Be cautious in warmer months and if there’s flooding on the streets from rainwater as snakes tend to seek shelter and meter boxes are the perfect spot. Both venomous and non-venomous snakes can be found, but rat snakes and garter snakes are the most common.

If you’re nervous about what may lurk beneath the meter lid, use a meter lift hook and proceed with caution before reaching inside.

Dominique Silva was born and raised in San Antonio, graduating from South San High School and attend college at Palo Alto College. As a customer service specialist at SAWS, he loves helping educate customers about the importance of water use and best water conservation practices. He enjoys outdoor activities, concerts, and movies, and is a season ticket member for the San Antonio Spurs. His favorite quote is, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).