It was 2 inches long. I kid you not.
"What the HECK is THAT!?" you might ask.
It's a Wheel Bug. Named for that wheel-like crest on its back. I thought it was a mutant squash bug, but Wikipedia informs me:
"Wheel bugs are highly regarded by organic gardeners because they consume a variety of insects and their presence indicates a healthy, pesticide-free ecosystem. "They're the lion or the eagle of your food web," Dr. Michael J. Raupp, an entomologist at the University of Maryland, notes. "They sit on top. When you have these big, ferocious predators in your landscape, that tells me that this is a very healthy landscape, because all these other levels in your food web are intact.""
I can't imagine a more satisfying recognition to my attempts at organic gardening.
In other news, this tomato hornworm caterpillar has seen better days:
I love it when the hover flies find them before I do. Mwah ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaa!
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Yay!! Recognition and gratification received from a little bug!!
ReplyDeleteAnd that hornworm is unbelievable! I couldn't figure it out for a while.
ReplyDeleteI hate tomato horn worms. Hate them (but they are kind of amazing how huge they get), but I hate them.
ReplyDelete