Let Us Pray/Prey

Praying Mantis on lavender.

Baby Praying Mantises have hatched and are doing their part to keep the garden free of "bad" bugs. There were quite a few egg cases in the garden found during the winter.  If the limb they were attached to was pruned, the limb segment was placed in the garden so these babies could have a fighting chance to help.

Courtesy www.toadhaven.com

Poisons aren't used in the garden because WE eat the same thing the bugs are enjoying.  My method is to encourage helpful bugs and pick off the harmful bugs (whenever possible).  A Praying Mantis is a hungry ally to have in the garden.

I always confuse "preying" with "praying" mantis.  Either way works for me.

I am the Lone Locust of the apocalypse. Think of me when you look to the night sky.

Time to start cleaning out the 2nd bed of 3 Sisters.  Most of the corn stalks were yanked out some time ago; but I kept a few in to support beans that really weren’t worth keeping.  As I cleared out the corn stalks and bean vines I kept finding more and more baby pumpkins (Jarrahdale).  Before this evening, I thought that I had maybe 10 pumpkins.  As I kept clearing, I kept finding more and more promising specimens.  There are so many more producing that I’m sure to delight a couple of kids whose pumpkin patch was a dud this summer. I worked beyond sunset and had to use a flash for some of the final photos of the day.  There was only a slight infestation of aphids this summer.  A blast from the hose along with lady bugs gobbling up the beasts seemed to keep the aphids remarkably under control.  I may have only seen 1 or 2 squash bugs.  Now I know why.The more I cleared, the more I disturbed the population of my team of homeland security agents.  There were so many fat, happy, and apparently expecting praying mantises.  This one looked like Lamaze breathing would be necessary any moment.

Even though the 3 Sisters version of gardening was a bust this summer, one item did flourish – Jarrahdale Pumpkins (and praying mantises).

species:  Zoranthian

Zorak: My favorite episode of The Golden Girls is the one where they all took contaminated Geritol and died.
Space Ghost: That was never an episode!
Zorak: Well, it should have been.