The wrong bug
Probably about ten years ago I was raking leaves on an unseasonably warm day in late October, and saw something unusual in my leaf pile. It was a praying mantis, the first I had ever seen in my yard, and it was exciting! This was before I had much of a garden, so I wasn't thinking about the beneficial aspects of having this critter around -- I was just excited about such a cool and "unusual" insect. I put that mantis in a jar, and fed it crickets almost daily for the next few weeks. When the freezing temps put an end to the native cricket supply I bought crickets from the pet store. The well-fed mantis repaid me by laying one egg case after another -- I got at least half a dozen cases before the mantis died.
Each year since then I've kept a careful watch for mantises at this time of year, hoping to catch and repeat my previous egg-laying experience. I succeed every other year or so, but I think it mainly comes down to luck. I've been hunting furiously this year, but have had no luck yet. I am seeing other interesting bugs though.
