Upon closer inspection, Rose realized that the insect was actually a mosquito. She delicately picked up the mosquito between her thumb and index finger, lightly brushing the painted canvas with her knuckle. Her heart began to race in her chest. She placed the mosquito amongst the flowers and quickly covered the painting with the glass again.
Later, she explained, “I took it to the front yard and opened it to retrieve the mosquito so I could take it to the university, and then it startled me a bit. I closed it immediately because it looked like it might be real.” But she wouldn’t discover the truth until much later.