Our gift(?) of the day...Rhino Beetles! Hooraaay. They have an interesting back story or should I say "Love Story". We went to a relatives pool over the weekend and my entomologists-in-training made their routine check of the pool's flappy-debris-collection-container (?wha?)...I'm sure there's a technical name for that piece of equipment but we just refer to it as "The BUG co-lec-TOR". Lo-and-Behold we found these two pretties, belly-up. They appeared lifeless but intact and after a delicate but hasty inspection, we put them away for safe-keeping. I was already dreaming of the photo-op fun we would have. The one with the stately horns is the male Rhino Beetle and the other, his lovely lady. 
Which one blundered into the treacherous pool first, was it she, with her suitor in brisk pursuit? Was it he, with she following in demure fascination? The intrigue was abandoned for a moment when we spotted a HUGE 7 inch Rana Catesbeiana (that's bullfrog for us simple folks) swimming leisurely around the pools perimeter. We gave full on chase and the girl entomologist-in-training was the first to catch it. It appeared unharmed and she stroked it's resplendent head until I made her turn it loose. If I had allowed, the frog would have been brought home and implored to sleep next to her...if it refused, a dictatorship would have been inducted.
Which one blundered into the treacherous pool first, was it she, with her suitor in brisk pursuit? Was it he, with she following in demure fascination? The intrigue was abandoned for a moment when we spotted a HUGE 7 inch Rana Catesbeiana (that's bullfrog for us simple folks) swimming leisurely around the pools perimeter. We gave full on chase and the girl entomologist-in-training was the first to catch it. It appeared unharmed and she stroked it's resplendent head until I made her turn it loose. If I had allowed, the frog would have been brought home and implored to sleep next to her...if it refused, a dictatorship would have been inducted.
Upon our return home we unpacked the Rhino Beetles and had a lively photo session, well WE were lively but the beetles were dead...all the GOOD ones anyway, we miss you John and George...then they were placed up on the edge of a picture frame hanging on the wall until we could decide what to do with them. To find a male and a female together was quite lucky and to toss them carelessly into the yard would have been profane. 'Round about 6 o'clock, I noticed that the female beetle was in a different position on the ledge than originally placed. It was rather high on the wall so I ruled out pilfering from curious hands. Then one hairy leg moved ever so slightly as I rose from the couch...and to my astonishment, HER hairy leg also moved ever so slightly. I really should shave more frequently. "She's alive, ALIVE, AAALLLIIIVVVE!" I screamed in Frankensteinian exultation. She was quickly plucked from the ledge and sequestered in a cozy terrarium 4" deep in soil with a saucer of maple syrup for her dining enjoyment. We watched her appear to be drinking it and then burrow down beneath the soil. We crossed our respective fingers in hopes that her mate would awake from the dead but alas, he never did. Rhino Beetles are gentle bugs, despite their colossal size. Ours is about 1.5" in length and 1" wide. They don't bite or stink and are low maintenance. We may hang on to her for a time until she is strong enough to survive in the wild and then turn her loose.
Appearances can be deceiving and patience is a virtue...
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