We had one fly up onto the back deck one summer. I saw the dogs sniffing something, and then ducking away. It did not need my help in defending itself. I caught it up, and it was huge! My boss at the time was married to a science teacher, to told me all about it and released it in a local pond.
The best bug I have seen, ok tarantulas are cool.

Dawn Bailey
Eatonville, WA
dawnsdog at rainierconnect.com

"Life isn't a succession of urgent nows, but a listless trickle of why should I's?"
~ John Wilmot, Second Earl of Rochester
----- Original Message -----
From: Dennis Paulson
To: Tweeters
Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 8:25 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] giant water bugs


I know of two giant water bugs that have been found in lakes in the Tacoma area in recent years. We have one of them as a specimen in the Slater Museum. I'll admit I haven't seen any myself in the state in almost four decades of searching for dragonflies at many, many water bodies. However, Lethocerus americanus is known to occur west to British Columbia and south in the Rocky Mountains to Utah, so I wonder if it might possibly be a rare native in Washington.

-----

Dennis Paulson

1724 NE 98 St.

Seattle, WA 98115

206-528-1382





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