The Sprayberries

The Palo Verde Boring Beetle

[ty] 2 July '07

I found a bug in my tub today.

For those of you not in the know I'm home with my son all July until the school year starts back up again in August. This gives me lots of time to take care of Cayden and occasionally get some housework done. Our friend Gaspar is coming into town tonight so I was cleaning out the plants we stashed in the tub during our trip home. As I picked up one of the smaller pots I noticed a very still bug on the floor of the tub. A big bug. So being a trained biologist I fell back on my wealth of knowledge and experience and reached out and poked it. For the record I didn't actually scream like a little girl when it counter attacked, it was more of a war cry.

Anyway, I ran into the kitchen, grabbed a pyrex bowl and trapped it in my tub. And there it sits. Until my wife gets home and congratulates me on my conquest.

Here is a picture of the bug. Now, before you say to yourself "Well, maybe I'm no ninja but at least I'm not afraid of bugs", this picture is ACTUAL SIZE. I'm not kidding. Put your thumb and forefinger up to your monitor. This bug (whom I have named Sergei) is gigantic. I'm going to start riding him around town to do errands. According to the Infallible Internet he is one of the largest insects in North America. Sergei in particular. Did you check out his spiked collar of doom? His gnarly pincers? He and Cayden will grow up together and be best friends. Nobody will mess with my kid when he shows up on the first day of school riding this beast.



Here's to you Sergei.