Late in the summer, there is a great abundance of flying and crawling insects—they are everywhere. I enjoy photographing many of them and generally I will try to identify my subjects when I post their photos.
In this case, however, I didn’t get a close enough view or a sharp enough shot of this cool-looking insect for me to be confident in any identification. (Alas, the photo is clear enough for me to realize that I need to clean my camera’s sensor, for I can see a bunch of stops in the beautiful background of what is often called “sensor dust.”)
Still, I really like the insect’s pose at the top of the vegetation, a pose that somehow brings to mind the “King of the World” moment in the movie Titanic.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I am sure it’s a wheel bug. Look at the notches in the middle of the back. Not found where I am, but would love to shoot one.
I think you may be right, Victor. I have seen a wheel bug before, but it was from an angle where I had a much clearer view of the “wheel.”
You’ve inspired me to take photos of the little creatures I see when out and about. Yesterday at Harpers Ferry, I photographed a butterfly and a crane. Hoping someone will give me the technical names once I post the photos.
That’s wonderful to hear. I usually follow what I call the law of the Old West–shoot first and ask questions later. I started off not knowing much about insects and birds but have gradually learned a lot about them.
Great advice ~ thanks!
I wonder if it was eating that piece of grass.
That’s a tough call for me to make, Allen. When I shooting with my macro lens, I am able to observe insect behavior much better than when I am shooting with my long telephoto lens.
The world is so spectacular and interesting when you stop to look at it…Love this unique creature.
That is a type of assassin bug, and it’s a predator. They will give you quite a painful bite if you pick them up.
Fortunately, I do not have a desire to pick up the bugs that I see. In this case, there was some comfort in shooting with a long telephoto zoom lens.