I don't know, it was like that when I found it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it :-)

Really struck me funny. No matter the cause, a trip to the ER seems in order. Just drop him off at the door.

Do wildlife rehabbers take bugs? Maybe he just needs a tiny steak to put over his eye :-)

Oh, you might contact ace editor Harsi Parker. She does pool rescues and may be looking to broaden her client base. No steaks from her, tho, a dedicated vegetarian. (Well, maybe a faux soy steak.)

..during my time in the trenches, rescuing critters from the pool. Countless amputees, severe wing damage, and of course... the dreaded abdominal water bloat (the equivalent of D.O.A. in my world). Still, it never ceases to amaze me how many arthropods can recover from serious injury, trauma and even what appears to be death (unresponsive for multiple hours) and then somehow figure out a way to crawl or fly away again.

Thus far, I've limited myself to rescue and relocation. Haven't actually tried to heal any injuries, certainly not those that were self-inflicted like your (ahem!) "clumsy" neuropteran friend. If I did though, Ron is correct -- proper insect rescuer and vegetarian protocol would dictate a nice tiny bag of frozen green peas for the battered green lacewing. (*smile*)

It also amazes me that bugs generally recover as well as they do from being chilled. Most of the ones I lose are because they went AWOL indoors somewhere before I could get all the shots I wanted. Of course, it's usually only the really small ones that can get away with it :-)

That gives me the idea of checking our neighborhood pool for casualties.

It's true, I am a "bleeding heart" when it comes to wanting to rescue any and all hapless animals out there. But, as a bug enthusiast and photographer, I can also tell you that there are big rewards to be had in this venture. Some of my best insect finds have been rescued from the pool, and it allows for marvelous opportunities to photograph and study them up close while they are grooming and drying off.

Thanks!