Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Irish Mystery of the Snow Bugs

Today, we got up to 60 degrees - with sun.  Only 11 days after our 21 inches of snow, most of it has melted.  Must have been the luck of the Irish.

After work, spouse and I took a 25 minutes walk, then we came home to finish up dinner.  Reaching for a coffee cup in the car, I was brought up short by an old memory of the years we lived here when there was still lots of snow on the ground at this time of year, and sometimes even into April.

A snow bug was on the coffee cup.

I don't know what they are, and I don't have a camera on my cell phone to show you.  But did it ever bring back memories of when my son was young.

Back when we had long winters, starting sometime in February, and certainly in March, I would go out with my young son and there, on the surface of the snow, would be elongated greyish bugs. (maybe beetles, I am no expert.)  Lots of them, crawling around on the snow.  We loved to watch them.

I haven't seen them in years. But then again we've rarely had snow into the middle of March in the last few years.  (Weather, don't get any ideas.)

I tried to google what I saw and didn't have much luck.  So,  if you know what these insects are, let me know.  I found this on a blog, but I don't think this is what our snow bugs (or beetles) are.

Some cities dye their rivers or fountains green for St. Patrick's Day. Binghamton?  Well, we have snow bugs.

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