Long Red and Black Striped Millipede

Long + Striped + Insect = Awesomeness. Not to mention all those legs and the amazing way they move...
I can not really imagine what it would be like to be a millipede and have to move all those freakin' feet in order to walk anywhere. (All the lazy humans would be screwed 100 times over, on each side!)

When I see bugs like this it reminds me of childhood references which were not from the natural world, but were inspired by it --- things like the giant sand snake in Beetlejuice ! Jim Henson, Tim Burton, all those creative guys musta' looked to the stunning and mind boggling creations of nature for their artistic inspiration... the more I see creatures in the natural world, the more I remember their movies.
BTW- i picked this millipede up out of the road and put it back in the wildflowers...just in case a car came by and didn't notice it crossing. ;)
Xoxoox