
Superman and I were the only witnesses to this nighttime scene. After which, I released the bug and retired the toothbrush.
I have not told the owner of the toothbrush.
“MOM,” he yelled to me next morning, “Is the new green toothbrush mine?”
“YES,” I yelled back, “The white one was worn out.”
But what I didn’t add was, “and it’s in the trash because a giant Western Conifer Seed Bug was sucking on it.”
The Western Conifer Seed Bug’s genus name is Leptoglossus.
Lepto is “fine, thin, delicate,” and glossus is tongue.
You’d need a “fine, thin, delicate” tongue in order to suck sap from immature pine cones.