I do love a good bug on a window. And, going by the shape, I think this one is actually a bug. A true bug, that is–a member of the the order of insects called the hemipterans.

That’s the group that includes stink bugs, cicadas, and aphids. They have mouthparts that are specially adapted for sucking. Aphids and cicadas eat tree sap, and you may be familiar with another fluid-sucking member of the order, the bed bugs. Mosquitoes are different, though–they’re flies.

It’s nice of the bugs to let us use their name to refer to all the other insects, too. I mean, clearly these guys have the mouthparts to take over the world if they wanted. But no, they’re just letting it slide, while their name is used for everything from bacteria to lobsters. Thanks for not eating us, guys!

Previous bugs on windows: cicada; some kind of fly or something; butterfly.