Recently a friend sent a picture of a walkingstick that she saw on her property near Bastrop, Texas. I have to admit that I have always thought walkingsticks were some of the coolest insects around. However, I have not seen very many of them and I attribute this to the fact that they honestly do look like sticks. A pretty good camouflage trick... if you are in a tree just look like a twig!
Well, the interesting thing about this particular walkingstick is that it looked more like a limb or even a tree trunk. It looked HUGE! Not sure this one could camoulage itself if it tried.
A quick look at Bug Guide let me know that, yes, Texas is indeed home to a species known as the Giant Walkingstick. Why does this not surprise me? The Giant Walkingstick (Megaphasma dentricus) grows up to 7 inches long and is the longest insect in the United States.
Please understand, there is nothing wrong with the original picture. In fact, it was very good and I certainly plan on posting it. However, as a photographer I am a collector... I collect images. This means that I have a burning desire to take my own picture of a Giant Walkingstick. So, I will continue my research (in order to improve my chances of locating one), then off to Bastrop in search of said large insect.
One reason that I am writing about this now is because I believe life is in the journey, not the destination. Whether or not I find a Giant Walkingstick is not the point. Not only will I enjoy the search, but I will also enjoy the planning, the research and the anticipation of the trip. I will definitely enjoy visiting with an old friend and then we will both enjoy telling stories (probably for years) about the ones we found or about the one that got away! I promise to let you know.
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