*Sorry I've been absent for a few weeks, between rehabbing my foot, playing catch-up with the gardens, and getting ready for and going on a week long trip to Cape Hatteras, blogging had to take a backseat.
So, where was I...oh yeah! The praying mantises (what is the plural of mantis? mantids? I like the sound of mantises better :) ) finally hatched and I was lucky enough to notice. It happened sometime in the week before last, and being a lover of mantises, it was awesome! There had to be at least a hundred or so of those little micro buggers emerging from that egg case. Although I read they're supposed to disperse and rarely are seen again, I'm still seeing dozens in the surrounding flower beds. I guess all that work making our yard a happy habitat is paying off. By the way, have you noticed more insects this year? (particularly bad ones like earwigs) I sure have, perhaps as a result of our mild winter?
For all you (beneficial) insect lovers out there, feast your eyes upon this...
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| Getting the camera to focus on the right thing was SO HARD! Here's one squirming out of the egg case. |
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| Look at all those mantises! By the way, they're on a Caryopteris shrub and they are not responsible for the leaf damage you can see here, some other yet to be unidentified bug is. |
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| Totally rad, dude! I wonder what could they possibly be eating since they themselves are so tiny (8-10mm). |
AWESOME! Love that second shot swarming with critters! Glad to know what the "hatchery" looks like, too! Thanks for keeping us up to date!
ReplyDeleteR K Young, you're welcome! Now I just hope they can avoid the hungry beaks of all the momma and papa birds out there in my yard.
ReplyDeleteOh they are cuties! Congratulations (I feel like I should treat you like a grandma for this).
ReplyDeleteLove the bluebird picture at the top of the blog too.
Ellen, they're definitely cute! Although I'd like to think I'm a bit young to be a granny, my progeny is quite prolific this Spring, lotsa babies everywhere!
ReplyDeleteThe daddy bluebird in that picture, along with his mate, successfully raised 4 babies already, and they just started work on brood #2. Like I said, prolific!