While I was out watering my plants this morning the dog kept barking at something close to the house.  When I finally looked to see what he was barking at I discovered a mating pair of Twostriped Walking Stick insects.

It amazes me how much bigger the female is than the male.  Here is a site for information on these creatures. I took this picture around 9am this morning and they are still in the same place and it is 7:40pm.

These insects can spray a liquid that burns.  If it gets into your eyes they must be flushed.  Glad my dog didn’t get to close.