Five Creeps of Nature That We Have GOT to Discuss
The other night I was looking through my 6-year-old's bug book with him and had to down about a gallon of Pepto Bismol to make it through the whole thing. Apparently, there are over 800,000 types of insects. Because I know you'd like to finish this post before you hit 98 years of age, I picked five to show you.
#1: The Kenyan DUNG BEETLE
 |
| Take a wild guess why this one is so gross. Besides the fact that the sick thing eats POOP, he rolls it into balls before doing so. Poop is big business in the dung beetle world. In fact, a well-known dung beetle entrepreneur, Long Duck Dung, just opened The Dung Beetle Bakery at the corner of Dirt Mound and Dead Grass Patch and sells Poop Balls right beside his famous Cake Balls. (Picture via: Totus Conservative Politcal Commentary) |
#2: EARWIG
 |
| STOP RIGHT THERE, Insect Namer! Pick another name before I have to get Pepto Bismol fed to me intravenously. This name is more than I can take. What in the heck. According to the source for all knowledge, Wikipedia, an earwig's name came from the Old English word "eara", which means ear, and "wicga", which means insect. This name is derived from an old wives' tale that you can find here. (Warning: It's gross!) Source: Intelligent Pest Solutions |
#3: GLOWWORM
 |
| All of those years of watching my sister cuddling with her stuffed Glowworm and I STILL didn't know there was a REAL insect by that name. Did you? (Source: Shakespeares Navigators) |
#4: HORNWORM
 |
| This nasty thing attacks tomato & tobacco plants. It is a type of caterpillar and can grow to be FOUR INCHES LONG. This bug alone is why I'm going to give the next person I meet who works on a tobacco or tomato farm a big, big bug hug. The next time you either light up a cigarette or eat something with tomatoes, think of the hornworms a migrant worker had to fight off to get that to you! Source: Butterflies & Curmudgeons |
#5: WATER STRIDER
 |
| When my 6-year-old saw the picture of the water strider, he said, "Look, Mom, this bug is just like Jesus because he can walk on water. That bug is just like Jesus!" Apparently, my son didn't stop to wonder if this bug can turn water into wine. Let's think things through next time, son! |
I would love to show you more, but my Pepto Bismol ran out and you've got a funny look on your face.