There's been a return to warmish air and yet more incredible downpours, but with the rain finally over this evening, I got outside to see if the night-time natural world had come out of colder-weather hiding. Indeed it had, and as I was combing the tree bark and leaf litter for signs of renewed life, I spotted this odd, mottled orthopteran that I guessed was some kind of cricket or katydid. I wasn't sure which, but something in the back of my mind said, "Camel Cricket"—an intuition that might have had something to do with the hump-like thorax. A quick tour of the internet confirmed that notion, and while these denizens of caves and other kinds of damp, dark places are harmless scavengers, I realized that a mystery insect I saw recently belonged to this group... and it might have been trying to "invade" my basement, where, I learned, the "camels" can become something of a nuisance. I don't think the bug in question made it inside, so for now, I'll have to venture into the woods to spot one.