As you probably know, it's been a few years since I've posted anything here.
I haven't been out in the garden too much lately, but as I walked by this bamboo patch I realized something wasn't quite right.
I think "ootheca" is the perfect word for... well, I'll tell you in a minute if you don't already know.
This is one of my Fargesia sp. 'Rufa' (possibly no longer the correct name as it seems to change every couple of years):
For some strange reason, the mantis egg cases that I keep in the refrigerator all winter almost always hatch on Father's Day. I'd say at least 80% of the years that's when it happens.
I've been lazy with bringing plants indoors this year. Yes, I got them into the garage when necessary, but sorting them into the "stay in the garage" and "move into basement" lots was only about 50% complete until yesterday.
Fall is the time for the large insects in the garden: spiders of course, but in my garden mantises are the star attraction. (Carolina mantis, Stagmomantis carolina) Yesterday I photographed a few of them, starting with this odd-colored one in the front garden:
A higher percentage of my posts recently have been about mantises, but it's unavoidable. Those beneficial insects are my favorites, especially since I raise them from egg to adult in a way.
I thought the mantis that lived on the Pachypodium all summer was gone. Turns out he was still in the area...
I scatter dozens of mantis babies every year in my garden, and one of my joys is when they stay put and I get to watch them grow up over the summer.
My inherited Madagascar Palm (Pachypodium lamerei) is offering up surprises this year.
Every fall and winter I collect mantis egg cases that I find in the garden, put them into a jar in the refrigerator, then take the jar out of the fridge once warm temps arrive in the spring. The baby mantises seem to always emerge in the first week or two of June -- on Father's Day most years, which is a little strange.
With three days of spring-like temperatures arriving starting today, I dragged the potted walking stick bamboo (Chimonobambusa Tumidissinoda) out of the garage.
The first fireplace fire we have each year has come to mean something different to me than to most people who light the logs at this time of year.
It was an exciting day for me yesterday for two reasons: I found a critter in the garden that I've never seen up-close before, and I finished a few more of my "cube" creations. I'll start the post with critters...
I started out this morning intending to just take a few photos of the Persicaria bloomss that were just being hit by the right type of morning light...
My work schedule has shifted somewhat recently, so I'm a bit out of sorts. It feels much like Monday this morning, so I figured I'd just share some recent unconnected photos. (Or are they connected?)
If you follow me on Instagram you'll know that I saw a nice fat female mantis in the ribbon bush yesterday afternoon. One reason that late summer is so wonderful to me is that it has all of the best insect life (except for baby mantises, which are probably the most fun insects and hatch in June)
Happy New Year -- I hope 2014 was a good year for you, and that 2015 holds exciting prospects! At least I hope your prospects are better than this fellow's:
I've found several mantises in my garden over the last couple of days. Since I released dozens of them as babies this spring and dozens more hatched "in the wild", I shouldn't be surprised when I find them in the garden.
A casual walk around the garden this morning, enjoying the damp quiet, no real goal.
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