Last night, a Jerusalem cricket wandered into our house, so of course I decided to make this interesting insect (who is not really a cricket, nor from Jerusalem) the subject of my Project 365 photo for today.
Also called "potato bugs," these ferocious-looking insects, native to the western United States and Mexico, are actually quite harmless. They are not venomous (although can bite if provoked), and not considered garden pests. Even so, they seem to strike terror into the hearts of just about everyone who sees one. I'll admit that the first time one wandered into my house (which happens three or four times a year), I was a bit nervous. They are large (~2 inches long) and bizarre-looking, but once I'd managed to identify and learn a bit about these oft-maligned creatures, I decided that they're actually sort of cute. Sort of. ;)
After taking some pictures, I released it into my garden, where it immediately burrowed under the dirt (trying to get away from the monstrous creature which had been carrying it around, no doubt).
A few more photos can be found in this Flickr photoset.
- Current Mood:
cheerful
Comments
(Okay, so maybe not as cute as a kitten, I don't HAVE a kitten, so I'm trying to make do with what I've got right now). ;)
Hey! Good point about the carnivorous "Wolverine" squirrel. And actually, I now have pictures of the ground squirrel, too (in fact I can see him/her siting on my fence right now, and making a very bird-like chirping noise). I could post a few of those, although they won't count for 365. Still, ground squirrels are CUTE! :)
*Shudders* That reminds me of when I was outside wating for the postman to finish delivering our mail the other day. A big, black beetle hit the side of my face, fell at my feet, and slowly scuttled away. I let it live, but I was a bit freaked out!
Check out my newest entry. I think you'll like this one much better, in terms of the cuteness anyway. :D
When I was a kid, what we referred to as "potato bugs" were sowbugs (some call them "roly-poly" bugs).