Reub's journey

22 October 2011

I'm sure it's a gadfly

It was raining when I noticed this little creature hiding between the boards in the fence. It made me glad to have a raincoat and place to get out of the drizzle, a place that wasn't just a couple of mossy boards.



 But what kind of insect is this? I feel like I should know. Showing the picture to John, I called it a "katydid," no a "cicada",  no a "lacewing," no I know... a "gadfly."  At which point he laughed at me. Sometimes I just can't hide my ignorance.


What is a gadfly anyway? I think it's a real thing, like a horsefly or a deerfly, but it could be a person who bugs you, too, and this what you get if you look it up on Google images.

9 comments:

  1. I know that I am supposed to be knowledgeable about nature, but I have noooooo idea what this is!!!!! Lol, if you don't know what else to call it, just call it a bug. ;D

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  2. hey, i've heard of a gadfly too. just not sure what yours is. :)

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  3. Wow, love that the photos is backlit. I have heard of a gadfly but never gave it much thought.

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  4. Funny. Gadfly is such and old term, isn't it? I love your new header photo. So arty.

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  5. GG: I forgive you for not identifying this bug, but only if you promise to show pictures of that penguin sweater you're gonna knit!

    twg: I bet there are gadflies all over TX.

    Rebecca: I was surprised that this picture turned out at all with the light behind it like that; I couldn't see the insect's details until I had it on the computer. Crazy.

    Tabor: I am still in a funny-word-mode and can't stop using vocabulary like "gadfly" and "cummerbund," "spats," "portly" and "bellicose." Somebody needs to stop me.

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  6. Do gadflies gad about? Is that where the verb Gadding comes from?

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  7. Ha! Love the cartoon.

    THe pictures are kind of alarming. I am not a big fan of bugs.

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  8. Great pictures. Especially the first one.

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  9. ER: Yes! They gad about. And they also are prone to Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

    Reya: The pictures are more disturbing than the actual insect, who was really trying hard to avoid me. A huge blown-up picture of me would be much worse I bet.

    Doug, Thank you.

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