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!

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.

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!

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

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.

salamanders supposedly can live in fire...which appears in some of his books like F451.

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!

id love to find a praying mantis, probably the most interesting insect ive found is a walking stick

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...

maybe he just really likes salamanders

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-

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.

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.