Just So Buggy!

I have a friend whose screen name is justsobuggy. It's cute. Lil Buggy is a nickname she acquired as a child because she liked lady bugs. Lady bugs are nice and cute and harmless. I don't think I've ever met anyone who's ever had a problem with ladybugs. I know I don't. In fact, I like them. But I'm not here to blog about lady bugs or nicknames. I'm here to blog about all the creepy crawlers that are creeping me out around my house.

The other day, I leaned over to pet my dog and I saw this bug with all these legs trying to make a quick get-away. It was a centepede. (See above picture) Now, I've known about centepedes, but this is the first one I've ever seen up close and personal. I shivered with slight fear. I believed the myth that centepedes are dangerous and deadly--that is, until I did research on-line after my close encounter. Boy, did I feel stupid. (Even though I was alone) I feel more at ease about the centepede, but I still don't like bugs crawling around inside my house.

It surprises me that I'm blogging about bugs. I've never had an interest in them whatsoever. Well, maybe just a little--like when I'd find myself sitting outside and I'd spot an ant carrying a heavy load. That would mesmerize me and I'd be spell bound for several minutes watching in awe at the wonderous job of the ant. And there was that time back in the 1980's when my ex-boyfriend and I collected a black widow spider, kept it in a jar and then dumped it into another jar that held a scorpion so that we could watch them fight to the death. I don't recall which one lasted the longest. But it was captivating to watch

I was walking around my backyard a couple of days ago and I was startled when I saw the bug in the picture below. It's not really a bug, but a shell of a bug, like whatever had inhabited this shell had shed it's skin. It almost looks like a giant bee with pinchers, or some sort of beetle. I don't know what it is, but it sure is weird and it really creeps me out. I took several pictures of these because I found them all over the backyard on the block wall, on the trunks of trees, and in the limbs of trees. Quite unsettling.

Oh, and here's a picture of a pesty fly. It just happened upon me as I was investigating the weird shell of a bug.

This is just a blob of a bug I spotted in the drive-way. I should have cropped the picture and adjusted it before I uploaded. It's kind of weird looking also.

Well, it's all just so buggy! And they say, the South is filled with bugs. I'll trade my desert living for southern living any day.