Meet the Walking Dude

I was working at home on Monday, and around mid-morning, my husband hailed me from the front porch. Did I want to come and see the walking stick insect that was hanging out on the flag?

And so of course I ran out with my camera to do a meet and greet. And there was the bug, wrapping itself in glory, sort of. For it had made itself right at home on Old Glory, our flag on the front porch.

Walking sticks are members of the Phasmatodea order of insects. You can read more about them on Wikipedia and also (scroll down) see a cool video of one walking. It's quite something to behold!

We did not know much about walking sticks, though on principle, we tend to be fans of interesting and unusual insects. So I looked it up, and it turns out that they are insects that some people keep as pets.

They generally eat leaves, though the kinds of leaves they eat may vary quite a bit based on what species of stick bug you have. I suspect that our own friendly walking stick - whom I immediately christened the Walking Dude (and check out those snazzy green knee socks, such keen fashion sense) - has been hanging out on the porch not just because of the flag (hey, it's a patriotic walking stick, I guess!) but also because of the ivy plant that grows up the brick wall nearby.

Long-time followers of this photo blog may recall our awesomely fun adventures on the front porch last August with Bugzilla the katydid. Who, alas, met an untimely fate, most likely at the hands (or whatever) of the several large spiders that keep webs high up on the front porch. So we warn our friendly walking stick to STAY OUT of the spider webs!

Given the patriotic nature of the Walking Dude, I was tempted to select the song Stars and Stripes Forever to accompany this blip. But you know what a Springsteen fan I am, always looking for a Springsteen song to go with my pictures and stories.

And I think all of us are familiar with the Springsteen album that features the man himself (or his blue-jeaned posterior, at least) plastered famously against the American flag. And so today's song, for this awesome Walking Dude who has chosen to wrap himself (herself?) in Old Glory, is Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA.