Ray Bradbury Forums
Salamanders??

This topic can be found at:
https://raybradburyboard.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6891083901/m/9191011011

16 November 2004, 12:15 PM
Korby
Salamanders??
They're ugly...but I don't know that I'd fear a potato bug more than (eewww) a spider or centipede!! One bug I've noticed seeing a lot more of is the earwig; we are constantly finding them in the house during the summer months - in the fall, I've been noticing a lot more ladybugs than I'd ever seen in the past, too!
17 November 2004, 01:33 AM
grasstains
patrask,

I grew up in Orange Co. That's where I used to see Potato Bugs all the time. Well, not really all the time. Just often enough to get excited about it when seeing one. My friend who still lives there says he's going find one for me, give it a clear coat of paint and package it, along with a Japanese Beetle, and send it to me. He says that he hasn't seen a Potato Bug or Japanese Beetle in a long time either.

I don't know if Japanese Beetle is what they're really called by everyone else. They're the shiny metallic green beetles.
17 November 2004, 11:31 AM
patrask
Japanese beetles I see every year. Some kids even tie strings to these and fly them like pets. I guess I am just too old and don't dig in the ground as I did when younger, thus, I never see Potato Bugs, assuming they are really there. Just as well, they probably think I am ugly too!
18 November 2004, 10:29 AM
Braling II
Interesting entomological tangent!
Have you ever seen these guys? The Tenline June Beetle (Polyphylla decemlineata) is pretty big, and they hiss, writhe, and click if you pick them up.
This shows a couple of pictures: http://homepage.mac.com/senorwences/PhotoAlbum13.html
18 November 2004, 11:19 AM
Korby
We have something close here, but the June bugs here don't have stripes and they're a medium brown in color. Nasty critters, as they are EVERYWHERE in the evenings in late May - June.
18 November 2004, 01:22 PM
Swifter
salamanders supposedly can live in fire...which appears in some of his books like F451.
19 November 2004, 03:26 AM
dandelion
Talked Thursday with someone who found some kittens in a bonfire--only AFTER the fire had been lit! They put it out and nursed them back to health. The kitties' names are Phoenix and Cinder!
09 December 2004, 04:08 PM
Mycroft
id love to find a praying mantis, probably the most interesting insect ive found is a walking stick
08 May 2005, 10:39 PM
Clayton
quote:
Originally posted by scgirl2589:
Our class just read "A Sound of Thunder" and our teacher mentioned that Ray Bradbury always mention salamanders in his stories. Does anyone know why he does this?

I don't know why for sure but we just got finished reading something wicked this way comes and he does mention them in there too...hmmm...
11 May 2005, 08:19 AM
~*~April~*~
maybe he just really likes salamanders
11 May 2005, 10:30 AM
too much
We've always called those green beetles June bugs. Other kids around here thought mine were kind of wierd, at first, for flying them around on a string- but you know what? It caught on- We/ve had millions of ladybugs the last couple of years too-
13 May 2005, 12:41 PM
Audio*Bell
In everything that I have read I haven't heard anything about salamanders. I do not know why he would want to use the mention of salamanders repetively in his stories though. That seems kind of strange if you ask me.
13 May 2005, 03:35 PM
cnb16
I haven't heard of salamanders in any stories either. Maybe he uses them because they are slimy and sneeky and that's how a lot of his characters are.