The Hitchhiker

On the way home from work the other day, I noticed what at first glance looked like a spider on my driver side mirror. A closer look when I got to a stop made me realized it was a true bug of some sort. I hoped the little critter would hold on until I made it home to inspect it. And it did! It endured a 15 minute ride at speeds up to 50 miles an hour. What a trooper!

Here is the little guy. I jumped out of the car at my place and clicked a bunch of pictures. I heard the neighbor kids wonder out loud what I was doing and soon they sent a scout to wander by and take a peek. I heard the report in the distance-"She is taking pictures of a bug, eeewwww!"

My hithhiker was a young Wheel Bug nymph. It must have climbed on my car at the park.

Wheel Bugs are fascinating animals. I found the adult shown above last summer. They are predatory members of the order Hemiptera. Other members are stink bugs, cicadas, leaf hoppers and leaf bugs. Even though they look scary, they are a significant players in the food chain game. I am glad he stopped by for a visit.

My cat Peach shoved her body THROUGH the blind to let me know she was quite annoyed with the whole thing. "Why are you out there looking at a bug and not in here taking care of me? I want nums!!!"