There is that. (I always feel a bit sorry for the cacti in the Sheffield botanical gardens glasshouses, which obviously don't get quite enough light or warmth to be really happy.)

Living in a very urban area, I haven't yet seen a snake or a scorpion in the wild here. (A colleague who lives further out, though, has had both in his house.) Plenty of cacti, though, and they can get vicious if I get too close with the camera!