Hand me down my Phasmatodea

This is the season in Northeast Arkansas for an order of bugs commonly known as walking sticks.

I started seeing them about three or four weeks ago and they seem to have an affinity for our garage door.

When I came home from having lunch downtown with Maria today, I noticed one on the overhead door and two on the door frame.

There are more than 3,000 species of these bugs that look like a small stick or twig. On closer examination, it becomes apparent that they have four legs (Does that means it's actually not and insect, since insects have six legs?) and what looks like a pair of eyes on long stalks running parallel with a pair of antennae.

The name Phasmatodea  is derived from the Greek "phasma" meaning an apparition or phantom, and refers to the resemblance of many species to sticks or leaves.

 

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The lovely Lauri points out that I mistook the front pair of legs for eyes on stalks. Doh!

Then this would be the "face" with brown eyes on either side.