My, what big eyes you have!

A visitor to the back yard today.   An Eastern eyed click beetle!    Never saw this critter before.  He was sitting on the handrail for the back porch steps minding his own business when the resident photographer came out with the camera..and then went back to get the phone for a photo on it.    

I got to close with the phone and he flew away.  So glad he did not fly at me!   

This beetle is about 2 or so inches long and the click sound comes when he falls on his back and tries to turn over.  Something to do with his two part body clicking into place so he can roll.  If I had known that I might have tried to push him over so I could see what happens!     I don't think he can even see out of those eyes..used for defense..if another bug sees those big eyes it might fly or run away!   

Really, why is this bug here?   The research said it does not  eat anything major (such as the flowers), the larva lives in dead wood and feeds on whatever is there.  So why has this bug survived...or maybe it is changing into one of the alien creatures that will be big as my hand in a few hundred years.  

We will never know.  Nature surprises us all the time!