Eyes..staring at me from the mulch in the rose garden. Scary, big eyes! I was pulling back the mulch under the roses to clear the area. I wanted to plant Forget-me-nots in this space and needed to stir the dirt a bit. Then a pair of eyes startled me. They were staring straight at me. Large, black eyes. I jerked my hand back from the under the rose bush and stared at the mulch. I did not have my glasses on so things were a bit fuzzy. (I really should remember to wear those much needed things!) I could make out the eyes and part of a grey body. Then "CLICK"! A snapping sound echoed through the garden with amazing clarity. CLICK! I smiled..I am glad you are outside and hope that is where you remain. The Click Beetle scurried beneath the mulch. I returned to my job of planting the posies when I came across the body of another beetle. This one had met its end in some unknown manner but the empty shell remained. I picked up the body and studied it closely. I have never figured out just how they make that loud noise. Occasionally, a Click Beetle will find its way in the house and at 3 AM, the click is amazingly loud. It literally echoes through the rooms waking me from a deep sleep. CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! The goofy bug will invariably managed to be upside down and try to right itself by clicking. OR..and this is worse..will climb inside some vase, bottle or other container and click itself crazy trying to escape. CLICK..CLICK..CLICK!!! Oh, my! Are those things loud???!!! 
I took my dead bug inside and did an "autopsy"! I pulled, pushed, prodded and probed. My buggy cadaver gave up no clues as to its ability to snap to attention. I thought.."I will bend the beetle and maybe I can see where the click occurs!" I bent my bug alright..bent it right in two pieces! The empty shell of a bug crumbled with nary a click..it made more of a crackle. Well now..that is less than helpful. So..I resorted to the internet to determine just what makes these beetles clickable! According to many websites, the clicking mechanism is on the underside of the beetle. There is a spine that can snap into a corresponding notch..this creates a popping noise. Ahh..got it! Not really..but sounds good. My poor insect now had no spine nor notch..it had crumbles. It still had it eyes, though! It seems that the clicking and the "eye" marks are both defensive methods. The clicking can actually propel the beetle into the air helping it to avoid predation. The eye markings are an adaptation to scare off predators. Smart beetle!
So the next time you get that creepy feeling that something or someone is watching you..you may be right! Peer around in the garden..you might just spy the culprit! A pair of large, black eyes might be staring at you from the mulch!
On another note..my "life-sized, realistically hand-painted" owl (post from Jan. 13) was not doing his job again today. Whoever came up with the brilliant idea that these plastic owls would suffice as scarecrows is sadly mistaken. This morning, a squirrel was perched atop my "life-sized, realistically hand-painted"owl. I am beginning to believe that the only thing this owl is good for is as a roost for any critter that wants to get a better view of the garden! Or in this case, a better view of the dog that wants to chase squirrels! Ms Ez burst through the door with all intentions of ridding the world of the pesky critters and never laid eyes on the rodent atop the owl. The squirrel watched Ezzy as she raced from tree to tree. I could almost hear it snickering and imagined it was thinking something on the order of "Dumb Dog...hehehe!"........all the while, my "life-sized, realistically hand-painted"owl sat stoically on the fence post.
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