A warm, humid day today, cloudy and overcast.
Not my favourite summer weather.
I've been busy tidying some shelves where I keep art stuff.
I jumped when I discovered this small dead thing under
some paper.
A dead tree weta.
As a child, my older brother used to scare the living daylights out of me
with wetas.
Years of primary school teaching helped me over that old fear.
Pointing out to children how beautiful they really are;
how the species has outlived the dinosaurs...
but I still jumped when I saw this poor fellow.
Left alone they are quite harmless, but threatened I am told they hiss and bite!
Is your brother still living? Perhaps these things are messages...
ReplyDeleteYikes! You are braver than brave to photograph it, Joan. It does look rather prehistoric, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThe back legs remind me of a grasshopper - they look like powerful jumpers or something. I'd rather encounter the dead variety than the living, I think!
ReplyDeleteI would have jumped out of my skin, too. I've never seen anything quite like them.
ReplyDeletei love all creatures big and small like you
ReplyDeletethough I would have jumped at finding this on in an unexpected place ...then I would have placed him outside to just fade away
He does look like a grasshopper
Have you ever scared a praying mantis...they turn brown and look like they want to fight...and they eat butterflies!!!
Oh yes I would jump too - I don't mind creepy things as long as they don't come upon me too suddenly and without warning.... I guess most of us have to try hard to resist the urge to hiss and bite if we are threatened!
ReplyDeleteReally quite beautiful, in a steam-punkish way. They almost look gilded.
ReplyDelete