Thursday, September 28, 2006

Big Big Bug

I was out walking in the yard yesterday, when something large crawled quickly down from the sycamore tree...I thought that it might be a lizard or a field mouse so I went over to investigate...and so did our cat Hopalong.


Off course, the cat got there first and stopped, dead in its tracks...The bug was a very large looking beetle with a nasty looking pincher on its head. The cat just looked with amazement as I did.


Just look at the size of this bug!!! Maybe someone can identify it for us...It's about 3 inches long and I was very thankful that I wasn't under that tree. You ask me why I'm thankful that I wasn't under that tree? Because if that bug would have fallen down on top of me, I would just have gone bezerk. You notice that the cat is just looking...None of the cats made any attempt to try to touch the thing and neither did I. The bug just crawled back up in the tree and we all cleared the area below.


Here's a better picture of the bug while it was on the ground...See the big pinchers on its head. It was kind of a pretty bug and I had never seen anything like it before. It crawled very slowly going back up into the tree, so my guess is that it doesn't fly...I didn't poke it to find out either because I was afraid it would fly right at me and get tangled up in my clothes...then I would have had to strip right out there in the yard and that wouldn't of been a pretty site. Then the neighbors would have called the police, who would have taken me off to jail...all because of this bug in my yard. I wonder if they allow laptops in jail? Can't miss my blogging you know!

25 comments:

TJ said...

don't know what that thing is other than some sort of beetle??
stay away from it, we don't need you in jail my friend...they definately do not allow laptops...lol!!
:-D

Franny said...

OMG OMG ew ew ewwwwww! So sorry, but that is a big bug.
Um, I hate to tell you that you wont have a laptop in prison...but you WILL have a girlfriend named 'Bulldog' to warm you on those cold, cold nights!

Jellyhead said...

'a girlfriend named Bulldog'!!...Franny makes me laugh out loud!

That is certainly an impressive bug. No idea what it's called, of course.

Cheyenne said...

Good god that is some big bug. Glad we don't have any around here that size. And if it had fallen on me I'd still be running!

Carole Burant said...

Awwww I would have gone to visit you in jail!! lol Yuckkkkkkkk, yuckkkk, yuckkkkk...that bug looks like something out of the dinosaur era! My goodness but it's HUGE and I thought it was so funny how the cat just watched it...smart cat! lol I did some research and found out that beetle is called a Western Hercules Beetle or Grant's Rhinoceros Beetle...the one you have is a male. Go to http://whatsthatbug.com/beetles5.html and scroll down, you'll see a picture of it...matches yours perfectly!

R.Powers said...

Great beetle. Smart cat.

somershade said...

That's not a bug, it's a can opener.
Don't worry I will bring you smokes to jail,oh wait a minute you don't smoke(good moma)

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...

Thanks Pea...I read that they're great flyers but make poor landings...thank goodness I didn't poke it.

Somershade...thanks for your offer but you could bring me bing cherries or those big juicy yellow ones.

Granny said...

I think Pea is right. I was about to google but I recognized the name.

We had something similar when I lived in Phoenix called a Longhorn beetle. At least 2 inches long, black, antenna like those, and it flew. Harmless probably but scary. They had a shell as tough as an armadillo's.

Anonymous said...

I'm still workin' through how you get to jail Sandy, hitch a ride on the old hercules beetle praps?

Anonymous said...

Gidday Sandy, I see somebody has identified the bug (not that I knew what it was). 'Tis amazing how far technology has come. Here you see a bug, get the digital camera, take some photos, instal them on the computer then blog it and presto somebody gives you an answer. Before this you'd take a photo with a camera with 35mm film, go and get the film developed, and before the 1 hour photo lab this would of taken perhaps a week to get the photos back, then maybe show the photo around or take it to a museum to try and get it identified. How fast our world changes.

tomlaureld@yahoo.com said...

I have seen those bugs before but never a three inch one.

doubleknot said...

Glad someone knew what the beetle was. I have come out of my pants in the yard - we have those biting red fire ants down here - at least it was when I lived in the country and no one noticed me. I can remember stripping the kids when they got in a red ant bed.

... Paige said...

That would have been a great bug, for BabyBear's bug collection (do they still do that for school?). Good choice to take a picture first. But I would have gone and found a big jar, pitcher, bucket & captured it. I am mean, I tell ya, mean!

so glad you didn't poke it with a stick, that makes every one mad, even pretty little bugs.
Happy weekend

Pamela said...

Oh my word that bug is big! Glad things didn't get too out of hand. I would have just freaked! :)

Gary said...

Down here in South Texas those are known as 'midget bugs'. The mosquitos eat them for breakfast.

Rachel said...

I think I'll stay out of Gary's territory if his comment above is correct!! LOL

We have those around here sometimes and I looked them up too. I have never seen one fly. They are huge and frightful looking things! You could have called me if you went to jail. I would have bailed you out.

Kerri said...

That Pea is a clever and helpful girl, isn't she? i love that site. I was trying to identify a huge bee-like thing I photographed the other day, and I think I might've found it when I went to look at your beetle. I'll post a picture of it soon.
Wow!! That's a beetle and a half! Nature is so amazing, isn't it? I'm really glad you shared this amazing discovery with us. Apparently it didn't look very appetizing to Hopalong. Good decision on his part, I think :)
Now you be good and keep your clothes on in the back yard girl! We can't afford to bail you out of jail!

That's strange about the color on your computer. I'm glad it's fixed!
Very cold here tonight. We might get a frost. I hope not!!! Hate losing my flowers and veges.

Anonymous said...

Way to go Pea! I'll know who to ask if I ever have a question about something. lol

Western Hercules Beetle or Grant's Rhinoceros Beetle; whatever it's called I'm glad it's not in MY yard!

Heidi Grether said...

Your cat is toooooooooooooo cute! Yech, that was a buggy bug. Glad it didn't jump on you or bite you, or your cat!

Ava said...

Wow! That's one heck of a beetle! Looks kind of scarey!

Glad you and the cat didn't touch the thing ... looks mean.

Anonymous said...

It's called a brobdingnagian beetle, as I understand it. ;)
But I don't think you'd end up in jail. your readers would bond you out before the door slammed shut! ;)

Tim Rice said...

That is one amazing bug! Fascinating that your cat chose to stop and just look at it. Great picture by the way!

SnowWhite said...

Now thats a beetle on steroids lol

Alice said...

Goodness me - BIG bugs, red fire ants, and mosquitoes as 'large as Texas' ..... I could add these to the bears, skunks, aligators and voles in my comment to Zoey. The dangers over there are really stacking up.....LOL.