I hadn't seen Pacific Ambush Bugs for a couple of weeks, and was surprised to see them for the first time on Yarrow. They're pretty small, so at first, I thought I was seeing just one. I ran inside to get my camera. As I was taking pictures, the bug seemed a bit bulkier than usual, so I poked it, and only then discovered that I was looking at two - mating. Until now, I had only seen these bugs on Tansy and Daisies, both members of the Sunflower family, now getting to be known as the Aster family, Asteraceae. It turns out Yarrow is also a member of that family, so I began to wonder if this bug only visits members of that family.
I usually prefer to discover as much as possible from my own observations. I figured that such an outstanding-looking bug has probably been studied thoroughly and I could find out more than I wanted to know by "googling" it. But I resisted. That is, until I looked at the photos enlarged on my computer monitor. Both of my insect guides had the usual physical descriptions - large forelegs, especially the femur segment, for grabbing prey, often several times their size. Bulky body, shaped more or less like a boat hull. Common on flowers such as buckwheat (Aha! A different family.), and members of the sunflower family. Cryptic coloration, therefore often overlooked. Often seen on Goldenrod, also a membor of the Sunflower family. Then, I got a kick out of this last comment in my Peterson Guide to the Insects: "They do not bite man." It didn't mention whether they bite woman.
On the way into the house, I was stopped by a particularly fresh-looking Red Clover. This photo has nothing to do with the preceding narrative. That's why I titled it "Afterthought."
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