About to let the hounds outside before the rain the other day, Hugo was gazing at something he wanted to get to that was sitting right by the front door. It was some wild kind of sorcery I’d never seen before in my life!
ChatGPT said it’s a click beetle.
More precisely, it’s a Eastern Eyed Click Beetle (Alaus oculatus), and is one of the most distinctive beetles in North America.
They’re usually found in deciduous forests, woodlands, and sometimes around homes or on tree trunks. The larvae live in rotting wood and are predatory — they eat other insect larvae — but they’re harmless to humans. They don’t bite or sting, and they’re not a pest of homes or gardens.
If it gets flipped onto its back, it can snap a spine on its underside to launch itself into the air with a loud “click” and right itself — hence the name.
I sprayed it with the water hose.
Before letting Hugo outside, I sprayed it off the deck with the water hose. Not gonna lie, I thought about killing the scary critter. I’m pretty sure I’m glad I didn’t. The wicked looking dude will find lots to snack on under the deck, I’m sure.
And, I saved it from being mauled by dogs.
Now you know: The son of the man who welcomed the puritans and fed them when they were starving had his head cut off and put on a spike. It stayed there for 20 years at the same location as the first Thanksgiving.