It's Not Work, It's Gardening!

As you probably know, it's been a few years since I've posted anything here. I think it's time I started back up, and let...

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 m...

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 sa...

I've been lazy with bringing plants indoors this year. Yes, I got them into the garage when necessary, but sorting them into the "s...

Fall is the time for the large insects in the garden: spiders of course, but in my garden mantises are the star attraction. (Carolina manti...

A higher percentage of my posts recently have been about mantises, but it's unavoidable. Those beneficial insects are my favorites, espe...

I thought the mantis that lived on the Pachypodium all summer was gone. Turns out he was still in the area... ...and yesterday gave me ...

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...

My inherited Madagascar Palm (Pachypodium lamerei) is offering up surprises this year. It's a pillar of spiky loveliness, adding t...

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 o...

With three days of spring-like temperatures arriving starting today, I dragged the potted walking stick bamboo (Chimonobambusa Tumidissinoda...

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...

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 fin...

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 morni...

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 ...

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 l...

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 tha...

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...

A casual walk around the garden this morning, enjoying the damp quiet, no real goal. Here's what I found, what caught my eye.