Basement Bug of the Day

It was cold and raining today, so I didn't go for a bug walk, but I did find an interesting bug inside my house to be Backyard Bug of the Day:

Camel cricket. They are apparently common in basements, because they like dampness, but I found this one in my dining room. We had just been down in the basement, so it may have hitched a ride upstairs with us. This picture was taken outside on the porch when I brought it outside. I thought it was interesting that there has perhaps been a cricket in my house for months and I haven't heard it chirp, so I looked it up and read that unlike most other crickets, camel crickets don't make any sounds. They have many other common names, including spider cricket and a portmanteau of that, spricket, which I quite like. They reportedly eat fabric, and are disdained for eating curtains. It always makes me sad when I look insects up on the internet and everything I read is written by and for people who hate them. I think it's cool, although I admit I would not like it to eat my curtains. Outside is definitely a better place for it than either my basement or my dining room.