NZ Field Trips November 2006

[David Lyttle]

I did not know you were a wetaphile Lesley.

[Thomas Huber]

I love it David - does it set seed   

[Maggi Young]

Oh, my word! I was just trying to take in Lesley's words and adopt a calm, rational attitude to these Wetas when I clicked the page and found this new photo! Good grief, the thing is even worse close up!
Far too like a stick insect which are my pet hate, with praying mantis.  I am quite good with crickets and locusts but I can't abide cockroaches (well, who can?.... Don't answer that, Anthony Darby)I can't cope with these giants... too many legs, antennae, EVERYTHING!!
Much more of thisand I'm going to have to boycott viewing these pages and only read the synopsis emails, where there are no horror pix!! Have pity on me, for goodness sake!

[David Lyttle]

Maggi, Its not easy being green.

[Maggi Young]

Holy moly, it gets worse... that's it, I'm only reading the text here from now on!! And I have to say, a trip to NZ gets less attractive by the minute : the NZ tourist board should gag you  lot!

I'm thinking, beautiful country, lovely flowers, fabulous friends... and now these things... YUCK!

[Lesley Cox]

But Maggi, stick insects are lovely. They just sit there and occasionally rock back and forwards a bit. Their feet seem a bit sticky (some sort of gadgets to hang on with I expect) and they're no problem at all, except when a really long one, say 6", starts to step up your arm, under your jersey sleeve. That's a bit ticklish!

[John Forrest]

I used to keep stick insects at school and the kids were fascinated with them (perhaps the only thing I did for them). We had a gardener who I think could have been described as 'not a full shilling'. I asked him to look after them over the summer holidays and cut some new twigs for them to feed on. When I came back there were new twigs but no stick insects. When asked where they were he replied " I don't know, I just threw the old twigs away"!!!!

[Paul T]

Maggi,

I feel for you re the insects thingy.  I hate spiders, but I ADORE stick insects (although my favourites are actually leaf insects, to be honest).  Cockroaches my wife hates but I don't mind.  Some of the Australian native ones are actually really pretty, with golden bands around the edges of them and red stripes and the like.  I have a pic of one around the place but I am NOT going to post it here or you'll probably never speak to me again.  Maybe this thread should be renamed "Creepy Crawlies thread.  Be warned!!"?