no, of course not

Should you get rid of this bug ?

MB – Yes. In fact, I think the book of that title is Roethke’s most satisfying collection, although I am also very fond of the poems in The Lost Son. My parents were unaware of Roethke (who had taught at Penn State a couple decades before) when they named the Far Field in 1971. Some of our hunter friends — who’d been hunting there for years before we made their acquaintance — refer to it as the Back Field. It’s a small, ridge-top meadow dominated by goldenrod and asters.

Lorianne – Males and females share essentially the same features. (But then, male humans have nipples, too!) Perhaps the female’s wheel prevents her from snacking on the male while they mate, rather than his wheel shielding him from attacks before mating.

They are kind of ugly, aren’t they? But then, I have that reaction to many hemiptera. Mantises are much easier on the eyes.

Between you & me, one set of eyes is more than enough to contemplate this creature. Damn, that’s a face/body only another wheel bug could love.

I’m very tempted to make a snarky remark about the expected lifespan of a certain president, but I’ll restrain myself.

Excellent post, Dave; very well written and the photos are great.

I’ve heard reports of mantids going after hummingbirds, too, but I don’t know how true that is.