yesterday's guest star

[the_siobhan]

I was sitting at my desk yesterday and something big buzzed by my head. I lost track of it until later when I was in the bathroom and happened to raise my eyes to the top of the door. Not a great position to be in when one discovers that something very large and spiky is sitting there watching you. (At least I wasn't asleep this time?)

So last night's google search was for "insects with a long spike coming out of the back".

Turned out to be a female ichneumon wasp. Harmless to humans, lethal to ash borer larvae. We caught her and put her outside.

Comments

[cornerofmadness]

So that's what that is! I've seen a few. Go eat all those larvae my dear.

[the_siobhan]

She was very chill, in spite of all our flailing around in the process of catching her.

[chasing_silver]

At the cottage, I woke in the middle of the night to something crawling lightly up my arm and then a sudden scrabbling sound up the pillow. I thought it was a massive spider and freaked out - it was actually a little field mouse! Not better but I was glad it wasn't the spider I thought it was haha. Field mice apparently are not afraid of humans and I suspect she was trying to get some of my long hair for her nest. Glad she didn't!

[the_siobhan]

See that would freak me out more. I don't mind spiders (although I don't want them in my hair) but I am allergic to fleas.

[chasing_silver]

I honestly think if it had been a massive wolf spider I would have literally lost my mind. But thankfully I am not afraid of mice, I just don't want them near me, lol. She was very small, only about 3 inches long!

[sabotabby]

She pretty

[cincinnatus_c]

Last night this thing -

- was clattering around the house here, so I was wondering when I started reading your post whether you also had one of those. :) (That there's an eastern giant crane fly.)

[the_siobhan]

Those I'm familiar with - also mayflies. I was initially wondering if it was just a really big mayfly, but the wings were all wrong.

[cornerofmadness]

that's good

[disastrid]

Once again, clicking on that link thinking it would somehow not be a picture of a massive bug and WTF IS THAT

[houseof9cats]

The first three years we lived here we had a ton of woodpeckers because they eat the ash borers as well. Mostly they were downy woodpeckers, but also the occasional pileated woodpecker, which was a real treat. They moved on with the borers when the ash came down. I miss them!

[the_siobhan]

That is the very definition of the triumph of optimism over experience.