A Bug's Life

Kelly and I were hiking along one of the local forest service roads and found a fecund blackberry patch that was bear-less. While I was stuffing my face with luscious ripe fruit I came across the bug pictured below. She (do bugs have gender?) was sitting on a plump blackberry, looking like a precious gem. As I scrambled for my camera the uncooperative bug moved from her prime purple backdrop and scrambled onto the poison oak leaves intertwined with the blackberry bush. She’s more camouflaged on the PO but still, she’s a beaut, even thought I didn’t really capture her full glory. I think the carapace design would make an interesting piece of jewelry. Or papercraft design. The bug itself would make an interesting model for an Anigurumi creature. Anyone want to design one? A challenge for our snarky crafters.

Does anyone know what the heck this bug is called? I don’t even know where to start to find out what she is – I need bug recognition software!