Is that a dead bug? Isn't that taking the whole taxidermy craze a little too far?

I'm all for thrifty glass, but I have to draw the line at insect carcasses. That's just squicky.

Yes, this is a large, freshwater, aquatic predatory beetle of the sort that bit hard when I caught it as a kid in the summer. I don't recall its name--does some one else?

P.S. Just remembered--where I lived, we called them oarsmen, for their heavy front legs.

That's a sea slater or aka a sea roach. It's a crustacean and not an insect. They are completely disgusting and it's really, really weird to put it in a glass jar as a memento of the beach.

eeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwww

You may be right; beetles and crustaceans both are arthropods, and look similar. This one isn't displayed at a clear angle or distance for easy identification.

That garden sculpture is wonderful -- as are several of the other pieces on that garden tour. Thanks for the link!

Sea Roach or Sea Beetle - either gets a EWW from me.

It's a giant water BUG (from the order Hemiptera, the true bugs), not a crustacean or a beetle but still an insect. It's predatory, and has a terrible bite.

It doesn't bother me, but I think the presentation is a little silly.

That first one is just...gross!

How timely. I was just wondering about where to find a cheap display case for a dead cockroach.

Roethke, I looked at its illustrations in Wikipedia, and this is the one I remember from childhood. I had its name wrong. Thanks for sharing its correct name!

Ok how close up is this because that looks like a HUGE bug to me *runs away*

I'm not grossed out by the bug, I just think it's kind of pointless and silly looking. *shrugs*

The rest I like.

I love all the bug/crustacean talk!

We're okay with Echinoderm, Cnidaria, and Lepidoptra carcasses, but no bugs? Well, one's person's fond summer memory is another's creepy-crawly.

A china totem pole, seriously? I will be fascinated to see if those are the next in thing, because I've watched people snicker at them for years and it would be highly amusing to see the beautiful people do an about-face and start cooing over how sweet and clever they are.

Honestly, I'm really scared (the scream-like-a-banshee-scared) of live insects, but I actually find the display of the giant water bug kind of cool. And yay Roethke for knowing what it was! I was about to correct the poster who said it was a sea slater, but you beat me to it. I actually took an entomology class in college and found it fascinating...to my chagrin. :)

The water bug/beetle/whatever it is ugly enough, but even without him, I can't find any reason to turn a jar upside down and stick rocks and a pine cone under it.

I'm not sure I really like any of these, with the exception of milk glass, of which I've always wanted a collection.

Love the crustacean! Very museum of natural history. It's a part of the sea world so why not! No ick factor for me, it's dead for pete's sake. I love the kid's-eye view of bringing home everything found thing and displaying it for closer inspection. Keep the crustacean! Science as art!

Please let me know the name of the thrift store where you are finding milk glass, I'd love to go there!

Off to go find a dead cockroach for my special rock display.

I don't know. I shop thrift stores at least twice a week. I think there are lots of things that just don't need to be upcycled at all. (Melted down and reused as raw glass, maybe.)

So we've established that the bug is a little quirky, but I like the idea, nonetheless.

i like the bug! it looks cool and museum-y, and it's cool that you have a childhood association with it.

i have a collection of luna moth wings from when i lived in the woods for 5 years. i think they're beautiful, others might get all creeped out.

anyway, i love the first display. the one in the garden looks a little impractical, and i'm not so sure about applying glue to something near flame. seems like it would either melt off, or leach some kind of toxic fume.

Very strange with the insect...oh well to each his own.

username26, I'd assumed that the bug was found dead before it was displayed, like a fallen leaf. It's definitely dead in the photo. Some insects are kept as pets in suitable cages, though.