Nevada's nature

Today I found a large, unusual beetle in the laundry room. I freaked out but locals laughed at me, saying it was probably a water bug. "Water bug", it turns out, is a local name for a roach, similar to how "Palmetto bug" is a South Carolina name for roach.  But I knew it wasn't a roach. Good thing,too - if I found a roach this big, I would have to move. 

I decided I had to know that the heck this is, so I tossed a couple of pennies on the ground for perspective (upper left), let the bug out of the cup I had captured it in, and took a picture as it ran away. 
A few minutes on Google and I learned that it's a Palo Verde Beetle. They grow over 3 inches long (which in my opinion is way too big) and they aren't harmful to us, but they aren't very good news for trees. 


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