Trombidium Grandissimum*

*Red Velvet BugOne small thing I like about our rainy season is that it brings out many of our beautiful bugs which are not seen too much during the dry. Last weekend, when 3 of our adopted “grandkids” were out visiting us in Makalondi, one activity we did was to take them on a hike of our “mountain” (which is really a higher elevation of ground…a tall hill) and begin a scavenger hunt. One of the items to find on the list, was a Red Velvet bug which is usually found in softer soil…like in a freshly planted field. I prepared the kids for the fact that they probably wouldn’t find a Red Velvet bug on the mountain, but that didn’t deter them from looking for one anyway.

What did happen was that in looking for the Red Velvet bug, they found all sorts of other interesting and beautiful bugs....2 of which were also another type of red bug!

They also turned up an iridescent blue green beetle and two other beetles which blended into the surrounding lava rock landscape

The next day, we picnicked under a tree beside a large field of young millet plants. After eating we took off to see if we could track down a Red Velvet bug and lo and behold, we immediately found one. Since one of the kids claimed that one, it meant that we needed to find two more. After searching for awhile, some nearby Gourma children joined in the hunt and we came up with two more bugs.

There are now Red Velvet bugs living in a jar of moist, sandy earth in the Rideout home in the city…

When I googled these bugs, I found out that they also can be commonly found in India and I even found one pictured in North Carolina! They live in the earth, but come out when the soil is moist.

They also seem indestructible: when my niece was visiting us one summer she kept one in a lidded jar in her room at our home. She had to leave it behind when she left and so it remained behind something on our desk. It was forgotten. One day nearly 6 or 7 mos. Later, I saw the jar and realized what it was. I took it outside to empty it out, expecting a bad smell. When I emptied the contents on the ground, you can imagine my surprise when Mr. Red Velvet started walking away! What had he been breathing in that jar? What had he eaten?

Though I haven’t read anything about these bugs hibernating, I wonder if that was what he was doing! Amazing!