Just one more beetle, coming to life with the rains? No, this guy was a good two inches long, from snout to the tip of his abdomen. I suspect he's one of the famous Big Bugs, after whom a local creek and high mesa were named.
I hate to mention where I found this critter -- he was quite at home beneath one of the guest towels in my bathroom.
My house also has wasps-- front porch and my grotto. They haven't bothered me particularly, thus far, so I leave them....
...and their homes alone.
An interesting hammock of a spider web I spotted out in the woods on the Crown King trip with my Sson. Note the several guy lines.
A much more interesting spider construction spotted this morning on the front porch. I presume that there are eggs somewhere inside all that webbing. Look closely up and to the left to see an ant that has been trapped. (Yes, purists, I am quite aware that I have strayed from the insect theme here and with the centipede.)
All of which reminds me of my decorative arthropods, which sit on the window ledge except when the smallest granddaughter shows up; they are favorite toys.
The lacewing (!) above and the grasshopper below were in the $1 bin at the grocery store -- imports from some third world country with a surplus of big hex nuts and labor.
This fine brass fly, on the other hand, is an old family heirloom. My father gave it to his sister when she went off to Antioch college back in the aught-20s; it so happened that her initials were B.U.G.
And there I was with daughter & granddaughter in the car (more later) when I spotted this gay tent covering the old governor's mansion at the Sharlot Hall Museum. Of course there was an insect connection -- termites, I presume, since the sign talks about extermination.Link Note: While I'm on the subject of critters, have you heard about the 14 cyber squirrels arrested for crossing the border into Iran?
Good luck with the wasps. I was "live and let" for a while with the ones under the eave of my ramada...until they took offense at my digging in the dirt down below and stung me on the shoulder.
ReplyDeleteNo more wasp nests after that...
Well, I have to agree. If one of my tenants acts up, I'm likely to engage in genocide, too.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, GJ, since 9/11, the Government has been spying on all American Citizens. In fact, we have noted several squirrel/spies in our own neighborhood. One has actually set up headquarters in the little storage building close to our back door. Lacking the astute spy detecting abilities of the Iranian Government, we were oblivious of the squirrel/spy's dastardly purpose until reading your timely link. Since our spy is a ground squirrel I comfort myself in believing the only intelligence he could have transmited thus far is my rather appalling need for a pedicure.
ReplyDeleteThat's some critter there!
ReplyDeleteYou're very lucky that you can exist alongside those wasps.
No, I had not seen the flying squirrels thing. Hysterical.
Mari-Nanci
Brain -- my doughty Max cat (and other libertarian neighborhood felines) do a reasonably good job of keeping the area clean of the larger squirrel spies. But, like you, we do have sneaky little chipmunks, in evidence only because of their periodic chirpy message transmissions. They may live down to earth, but the only time I see them is in trees, BTW.
ReplyDeleteSnS -- Thus far, no problemo as far as the wasps are concerned. But then, I'm not working & sweating like Mr. D. Cat.
BTW, I'm glad the squirrels are on our side.
Nice pictures. You are good with the new camera.
ReplyDeleteI'm always happy when I please steveg; everyone should visit his blog and his picture site...
ReplyDeleteYes. There are times to act in self-defense. Stinging episodes are certainly one.
ReplyDeletek -- once as a little girl, I was playing dress-up with a long flowing skirt. A yellow jacket got caught in the folds & he was A*N*G*R*Y! That time was no fun at all.
ReplyDelete