Blister Beetle

It's a blister beetle, seemingly perfectly adapted to its reed in a small, isolated swamp. I think it is the Cape Mounted Rifles or CMR beetle. While these are generally harmless, a single such beetle in the pot may mean death -- and they may cause blisters if they land on one's skin. They tend to buzz around one in the veld. OBSERVATION: There was a related blister beetle in the mission, in the Pacific: the Kareve (Toddy) beetle. One of these was used in the failed assassination attempt of High Commissioner Arthur Grimble, which he described in detail in one of his books. You may click on the photo to enlarge.