Insects keep waiting at my door to be photographed. Today's bug caught my attention by the ridge protruding from its back. After some Internet research I identified it as a Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus), they are named for the spiny ridge or "wheel" on the thorax.
Wheel Bugs are one of the largest true bugs reaching a length of up to 1.5 inches and a species of large assassin bug.
Visible in this photo is the wheel bug's reddish beak, located beneath its head. Wheel bugs capture their prey with their front legs and then plunges its beak into its victim before injecting it with enzymes, paralyzing it and dissolving its insides.
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