June 10, 2003
Jeff, the European caterpillar hunter
The kids found a fiery searcher yesterday in the front yard and named it Jeff. According to the Audobon Field Guide to Insects and Spiders (one of today's purchases at Barnes & Noble), it's a European Caterpillar Hunter. The European beetle is distinguished from its pedestrian American cousin by its longer antennae and a deep blue lustre on its legs.
Meanwhile, I'm fighting off the willies every time I page through the insect book. I've managed to peek at the spider section only once - damn they're ugly! As for me and my house, spiders are for smashing. Yes, they're "good" in that they eat predatory insects, yadda yadda yadda. Smash 'em. No snakes allowed, either. I'm the Dad, them's the rules.
That is a beautiful bug.
Not that I'd want it in my home, of course, but on the computer screen the colors and symmetry are gorgeous.
Posted by: Ellyn vonHuben at June 11, 2003 08:30 AMI have been searching the net for info on these beetles. Apparently, these beetles really love to eat those horrible tent catapillars and gypsy moth worms! We have some of these running around our boiler building - they are sometimes over 2" long, run very fast, and can see me comming from over 5' away. After about two years, I finally found out what they are; now I will quit stalking and taking pics of every one I find.
Posted by: anon at May 23, 2004 08:20 PMI work at a Toys R Us in Virginia, and I've found 2 of these around our breakroom. The first time, I didn't think much of it, plus it was dead, the second time it was a live one, and it was about 2 inches long. Went ahead and let it outside. I will say that was a wirery little bugger. I'm finally relived to figure out what kind of beetle it it. I hope to find more, I just think they are so pretty.
Posted by: Ann at June 13, 2004 07:58 PMMetaphysics is the finding of bad reasons for what we believe upon instinct, but to find these reasons is no less an instinct.
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