The Bug Collection

Hello! I'm a Sword-Tail Cricket! Aren't I cute? I like to live in bushes, so I'm commonly referred to as a bush wing cricket. I do bite, so you have to be careful with me.

I am mostly found in Europe.

So happy to be back with another green bug! The European Mantis, also more commonly known as the Praying Mantis! These guys have always been a big fascination of mine, as they're like little karate warriors!

These guys are commonly spread throughout the United States of America and Canada. They don't like super humid areas, nor do they like super dry areas. Much like Goldilocks, things have to be just right for them to thrive!

Poor butterflies and moths! The European Mantis loves to eat caterpillars, butterflies, moths, flies, and some bees! If you got wings, you're a feast!

My favorite color is green, so I'm really drawn to bugs that are green. Luckily, there's so many to choose from!

This is an Aphid, or also known as a plant louse. Aphids suck the sap from plant leaves and are a common pest. They are super destructive when it comes to plants, they suck the life out of them, transfer plant diseases, and carry around mold.

They are the embodiment of chaos in the insect kingdom.

Crazily enough, though, some types of ants have found a way to farm these tiny little death bringers. Its a mutual agreement between them, the aphids feed the ants, the ants protect the aphids.

A bargaining system, if you would.

Without them, our ant population would probably drop, and we need ants, my man.

This is a bug I only recently discovered, mainly in my search for bugs to post on this blog. This, ladies and gents, is the Thorn Bug.

Thorn Bugs primarily live in the subtropical areas of the United States. They don't bite or sting, nor do they eat crops. They do, however, love to feast on ornamental plants, y'know, ones we just like to look at. So, they are considered pests by some avid gardeners.

And, you see them wings? They use a strategy called fly-walk-strut to attract mates. What this means is that they will fly from one plant to another, walk around, and strut his stuff until a female notices them and falls in love.

So I have this weird fascination with spiders. I love to look at them, but I don't particularly like them on me. I'm not afraid of them or anything, but I am afraid of being bitten. Does that make sense?

Today I am putting the highlight on the Pelican Spider, also known as the assassin spider. This spider feasts on other spiders, which is where the assassin spider name comes from.

The Pelican Spider gets his real name from the super long mandibles that elongate when attacking prey. He really does look like a pelican subspecies at that point.

These babies absolutely mesmerize me. I lived in a house that these things were attracted to from day one. The Green Lacewing.

I don't know where these would come from, but they'd be all over my porch in hundreds, and in my house more often than not.

I think they're pretty though, so it didn't bother me one bit.

The green lacewing eats mites and aphids and other small insects and are very beneficial in a garden. In fact, they are more useful in gardening than the iconic ladybug!

Careful, though. These things stink a lot like a stink bug does when they are in danger.

My boyfriend very excitedly told me he had ideas for bugs to add to my blog, and brought up this beauty.

This is the Karner Blue Butterfly, and unfortunately, they are an endangered species. I really do hate that for them. Something this beautiful should not go out of existence.

Just like most butterflies, the Karner Blue Butterfly aids in pollinating wildflowers. Their larvae feast on the leaves of the blue lupine.

Gosh, they're so pretty.

This is a Rainbow Scarab, and despite its striking appearance.. It's a dung beetle. It eats poop.

These bugs are rather beneficial and most pest controls won't eliminate them.

The House Centipede, or as I like to call them, Leggy Bois.

Frankly, what's not to love about these eldritch horror of bugs? They look freaky, like a centipede and a spider had a love child, but they are genuinely the nicest bugs to ever grace us with their presence.

They ARE NOT pests, at all. Please do not kill the leggy bois, as they eat spiders and just like to chill alongside you. If they had a job, they'd pay rent, I promise.

Let's talk about the Golden Tortoise Beetle, shall we?

These babies can often be found nestled inside someone's morning glory plants, where they make their homes.

They are not usually pests, and are not super harmful to any plants or anything, and are also super easy to get rid of without harming them.

They retain their gold color as long as they are healthy and everything is going well for them in life. Much like you'd say a pregnant woman is 'glowing', these beetles are golden.

When things are not going well for them, they turn a dull reddish orange, and start developing black spots, much like the darkness that creeps inside of us all when we are in bad spots.

Today, we are talking about the Dusky Stink Bug.

They are quite interesting bugs, and get a lot of hate. I mean, who hears "stink bug" and gets a good thought? Well, I do.

Stink bugs, whilst they mainly eat plants, some eat caterpillars and beetles, and many other bugs that can be harmful to your garden.

Putting a spotlight on Lovebugs.

Lovebugs can be quite a nuisance, but they are very good for the environment. They lay their eggs in decaying plant debris (like grass cuttings from mowing your lawn), and they then eat the debris and expel some essential nutrients back into the soil.

They are beautiful, and deserve the recognition.