Does he bite? Well, no, he's a June beetle, and they're inoffensive. But then, angry and half drowned; could I trust him? I collected a stiff rhododendron leaf, and slipped it under him. He clutched at it so desperately that I carried him home on the leaf, left it on my desk while I finished with the hose and got out the camera, and found him still holding on for dear life. And he wouldn't let go, even when I pulled at him.
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| Grappling hook feet. With 6 of these, he's staying put wherever he chooses. They don't work on plastic buckets. |
He finally consented to move over to a handful of hydrangea leaves. where I could dry him off more easily.
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| Sopping wet, and unhappy. He's got bubbles all over his face. |
How do you know if a June beetle is happy? He fans out those high-heeled shoe sole antennae.
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| Happy June beetle. Photo from BugGuide, by Lynette. Creative Commons license. |
While he was on my desk, all wet and miserable, he kept the antennae tightly folded; beetle-style fists. Quite expressive fists, even so.
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| "I can clobber you with these!" |
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| Or panicky; "Get me out of here!" |
(Don't you want to just tickle his furry tummy, as if he were a kitten?)
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| Or just giving up, totally depressed. |
I dried him off with a soft, thick paint brush, and carried his leaves outside, with him holding on tight again.
In the morning, he was gone. He probably fanned out those antennae as he flew away.
