Garden – and mantis – update.

Because USA choked today – seriously, Tim Howard was amazing but he wouldn’t have needed to perform all those saves if the rest of the team played more than defense.

Ahem.

Behold, things to soothe my tattered psyche. New strawberries! A cucumber that ain’t stopping with the growing! Sunflowers that sprang up Hydra-like after the main one got cut!

And of course, the mantis. Which I know is also plural, but I like using Manti. Because I’m 5.

Check out these two; they look like separate species, right? Pansy is about 2″ now, but lil’ Sunflower is a quarter of that.

I love them both the same.

GardenWatch: tomatoes! Peppers! Mantis!

Morning in the summer is my time to putter around in the garden. It’s still cool(ish) from the previous evening, and the UV levels are lower. As a skin cancer…survivor? Person who has had many – all removed – thanks to my transplant meds? I like low UV levels.

Anyway, so proud of my little garden! TONS of peppers already. I’ve always been lucky with hot peppers; dunno if that’s because they’re easy to grow or that they thrive on neglect.

And check out my huge tomato! I love you, tomato. Please grow and get ripe for me.

Bonus: Pansy Mantis is getting bigger every day! Check out her beautiful eyes. (I think she’s a she, going off her thorax. If anyone can confirm/correct, lemme know!)

Summertime. Ahhh…

Ain't she adorable?

Small things

Spring. Well, til the 21st at least. It’s the time when everything is kinda wee. Case in point? These berries. Cute, right?

I’m guessing I could have bigger berries, but as I don’t use much fertilizer (or any pesticides)? Yeah, they are what they are.

You want more tiny? I got your tiny right here. On the screen door.

So small! And don’t worry, I moved him from the door to the pansies. Safety first.

I should should be pulling out the grout in my upstairs bathroom. But after my nephew jumped on me & hung on for what seemed like forever (but was probably a minute), my right leg is twingy and a little numb. I’ma rest. Because this will require more than a passing bit of elbow grease:

Urgh.

Quick shot: look who’s in my garden!

Forgot to post this yesterday; too busy in someone else’s garden. But lo and behold – they’re baaaaaack!

And so very tiny.

I saw two, but I was only quick enough for one. This is the little one that I moved from the pepper seedlings to the prime real estate of the insect friendly pansies. Welcome home, tiny!

Sunday Shot: future Manti?

It’s a freezing cold day here in post-Black Friday Baltimore.

My back, still recouping from the lumbar discectomy, is achy. I’m grumpy, because achy.

So? Time for backyard cleanup!

Nobody ever said I’m a genius.

But anyway, with cutting back the cone flowers, digging up the dead basil & impatients? I found this in the lemon balm bush….

PRAYING MANTIS EGG CASE!

Yeah, kinda excited. Next spring, there’ll be tons of little tiny mantises (aka manti) in the yard!

Here’s hoping Tippi is a good girl. Or she’ll get grounded for the season.

Warm Fuzzies: caterpillars and dietary restrictions

I need some happy after that deck-go-boom. So, I share. For those who are wondering what’s up with the swallowtail caterpillars?

Nom nom nom.

But never fear, they’re checking out a new pad! I hope they like impatients. Nom, little buddies, nom!

Shy. But cute.

I just don’t have the heart to tell them no.

I mean really. How cute are they? I believe they’re baby swallowtails, but I’m not certain.

Oh go ahead. Munch on, little guys and gals. Munch on.

No promises that I won’t evict you if y’all wander around to the tomatoes though. (And if you do? I hope you like lemon balm….)

Sunday Shot: Luna Moth

I’ve spent most of this past week recovering from the back surgery I had a little over a week ago. Things are much better – no more pain running up and down my leg! – but it makes for a boring week. I’m now completely hooked on Sons of Anarchy now though. Silver lining and all that.

I did pop over to the Home Depot yesterday, thanks to the help & driving skills of a buddy nice enough to indulge me in my Depot stalking. As I checked out, the cashier said, “hey, you ever seen a Luna Moth?” I love them! They’re beautiful!

And there was one just hanging out on the cashier’s “tollbooth”. Apparently taking a break before her shift.

It's exhausting, looking this good.

Gorgeous.

Sunday Shot: MANTIS!

I’m a little bit excited. I thought that this year I wouldn’t see any praying mantis (manti?)

But.

Yesterday, late afternoon. I’m moving the pots around the deck so they all get watered from the sprinkler rotating in the middle of the yard. And then….

Cuuuute! And a fan of basil. So this mantis is smart too.

Happy, contented sigh.

Garden-ness: black swallowtail caterpillar!

I haz friend! I popped out to the deck this morning (more like “wobbled out and managed to not trip over anything) and I saw this:

Isn’t he/she adorable? At first I thought the caterpillar was a Monarch, but I soon found out that in fact it’s a Black Swallowtail. Either way, ain’t this just a cute little thing?

No sign of a mantis this year, though my neighbor has two in her flowers. And yes, I’m incredibly jealous.

But hi there caterpillar! Bye-bye, parsley.