Byron's Big-Bug Poll: Help Byron Decide What Kind Of Bug The Tower's Mistress Would Be.

Byron of Byron's Big-Bug Emporium is having a debate with Shriek in their tent. The subject of discussion drifts toward the same topic as it always seems to do—The Tower's Mistress.

While Shriek drifts off into his delusions, wandering whether The Tower's Mistress is the trophy Goddess he'll add to his harem, Byron's thoughts drift to something else.

If the Tower's Mistress was a bug... which one would she be?

After staying up all night, racking his brain, Byron has narrowed this down to five options. He's decided that he wants to give one of them to the Fairy in hopes she'll pass it along to the Mistress, but he needs your help to decide which one.

Byron has gathered these pictures and put together a description of each. He can't wait to see what you think and plans to present it to the Fairy next they meet!

Picasso Bug

The Picasso Bug, where art and nature collide. An African species that is sometimes mistaken for a beetle, yet, the Picasso Bug is actually a true bug! Their sturdy shield-back effectively forms a solid defense over their abdomen and wings, and their awful smell sends people running. This species fancies Arabian Coffee bushes as a food source, and Byron feels he understands them on a personal level because of that.

Rosy Maple Moth

As the common name of the species implies, the preferred host trees are maple trees, but they also don't mind Oak. Since their caterpillars eat the entire leaf blade, in dense populations, caterpillars have been known to defoliate trees, resulting in aesthetic rather than permanent damage. However, like all other Saturniid moths, the adult moths do not eat. Between hatching and adulthood, the species undergoes five instars. "Five!" Byron shouts in his head. Can you imagine changing five times!? Does this mean there would be five variants of you!?

Acraga Hamata Moth Caterpillar

This caterpillar confuses biologists. Most of the time they're bright because of poison, but so far, no one has figured out why these larvae are so bright. Byron can't help but wonder if the Fairy or the Mistress could figure it out in time. Biologists do have some ideas about the function of larvae's gumdrop spines, however. The glutinous cones break off extremely easily—one can gently tweeze them off or even pull them off by accident—suggestive of the way some lizards' tails snap off in a predator's mouth. "Why do these things even work the way they do?" Byron asks himself over and over.

Palawan Birdwing Butterfly

The Palawan Birdwing Butterfly is an endemic species native to the Philippines, meaning they exist nowhere else in the world besides the Philippines. This worries Byron. Such a beautiful species may go extinct with all that is happening in the world. To make matters worse, this species only feeds on a single species of plant called 'Dutchman's pipe.' Byron has heard in the insect forums he frequents that this species isn't faring well. Byron has some seeds and is thinking about giving the seeds and the butterfly to the Fairy.

Panda Ant

This species of insect is, in fact, a wingless wasp and produces sound in response to threats from potential predators. They are ectoparasites, and their coloring serves as a warning to predators of their painful and powerful stings. The females are wingless, and the males have wings. Byron can't help but admire this species uniqueness. Both painfully toxic and cute. He wonders if the Mistress has a hidden side like this wasp.