That's a Big Bug

The bugs are bigger out here than in the city. I've seen a lot of bugs, but I don't recall seeing this little monster before.

I've seen multiples around the house hanging off screened windows. This one was conveniently on the porch, so I could do a size comparison.

I could have been braver and picked it up for the picture, but those mandibles looked painful.

I used my insect-finder app and then looked the bugger up. It's a female Eastern Dobsonfly. The males have much longer 'teeth,' but the ladies are the ones who can bite. They're not aggressive and the bite's not poisonous, but I can live my life happily without experiencing it.

The dobsonflies live for less than a couple of weeks and may not even eat during that time. The locust that trapped itself on the inside of the screen door was safe from attack.

It said that they lay eggs near water and rocky streams where they spend most of their life in a larval state. There's no visible water from our property, but we did find the little stream behind the corn and the trees from all the runoff.

BONUS: I was walking the bridal trail and found this. I think it's coyote poop. It's smaller and we've seen a fox before, so that's another possibility. It's certainly not deer pellets or a bear pile.

Yes, I stood in my hard and Googled different kinds of poop. It wasn't a Loki, cat, or horse pile and an inquiring mind wanted to know.

BONUS V2: 

Noticed a tick crawling up my leg that same day. I hate ticks.

They really haven't been bad, though. I've pulled a few off the dogs, but none have sunk into me. I check for them religiously, but I rarely see them. I was worried our fields were going to be infested and that hasn't been true.....not that I'm going to stop checking.

BONUS V3:

Shane spotted a cocoon on our way out to do agility training with Loki (from the prior post).

It was a gaudy sphinx, a species of hawk moths according to the app.

Bugging Me

More home ownership things. I bought Terro for some baby ants. Then I saw some wood shavings on a porch step.

Carpenter wasp hole. Fresh.

And how in the world did a tick get in the house?

That sucker went straight to the afterlife.

UPDATE:

No, Mr. Spider, I don't see any cat in your future.

Cicada Shell Fun

We found some cicada shells in our front yard the other day. Shane had me help him pick the tree clean of everything in reach.

When we couldn't reach any more, Shane complained. "Why don't you grab a stick?" I asked.

What was I thinking? Some skills come naturally! It's more proof that Shane can listen to me when he wants to!

Random Bugs

I found a praying mantis on the mailbox. I brought it in for Shane to look at before letting it loose again.

Buggy

Shane loves cicadas! A strain of 17-years is popping up all over Nana and Pop's. Last summer, Shane loved the shells at our house. This summer, he's playing with the real things! We collected a pile of seven around the yard for counting, poking, and sending down the slide!

Don't worry! No cicadas were harmed for this production. Shane only found one with some life still in it. I put it aside to live out it's last post-mating moments in peace.