'I'm always looking for the Hows and the Whys and the Whats,' said Muskrat, 'That is why I speak as I do. You've heard of Muskrat's Much-in-Little, of course?'
'No,' said the child. 'What is it?'
- The Mouse and his Child. Russell Hoban.

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Friday 19 December 2008

The Amazing Huhu




As I work in my studio after dark, (in itself quite a challenge as the days are very long in December), I often hear a 'bang' on the window.  It's this fellow above, the huhu beetle.
This one was about 2 and a half cm long, not counting the antennae.  
They are attracted to the light and sometimes come inside on summer evenings, whirling and bumbling and banging around the light bulbs.  They are quite harmless, but, as my young nephew once found out, if you tease them enough, they can bite you quite hard!

The huhu beetle is the adult of the huhu grub which lives for about two years inside fallen wood in the forest, eating, well, wood, and moulting until it is large, fat and pale cream, and, according to those who have tried, one of the most delicious sources of protein in New Zealand, tasting a little of almonds.

I'll stick with cow or sheep thanks, but if you'd like to gross out yourself or a sensitive child, see this man about to eat one.



Thanks to Geoff and Jan of the marvellous Millstream Gardens for the clearer photo of the beetle.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous20.12.08

    Love the beetle ... but I'll pass on the grubs. I honestly think I might choose to starve. LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mmmm... huhu on toast - sounds delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fantastically interesting...I'll skip the video though!

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  4. As for me, I'd rather eat a grub than a cow, sheep, pig, or turkey. They sound good: almonds.

    ReplyDelete

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