My little garden

We had a misting rain yesterday morning. It was enough for the plants to gather water droplets on leaves and petals and bejewel the garden.

A few pictures.

Red velvety rose kissed by the rain.

Sweet peach rose enjoying the rain.

The Calla Lillies gathering rain drops and the shy praying mantis posing for pictures.

My fingers for reference. This mantis is the only one I've been able to see for a while. He is good at hiding and he is growing. Sometimes I wonder if the ever present birds have found him and eaten him up, but then he shows up and my heart rejoices. So silly to be so concerned over an insect. 

Baby lemons. It's been fun watching them develop. 

My transplanted rose. All the leaves are new growth since the move. I pruned back the existing leaves hoping to spur the new growth, and she is happy and thriving.

I'm not much of a gardener, but my few little projects seem to enjoy the back patio. I'm wondering if I can add some veggies, but the planned July and early August visits to family have me worried.

At least three

I have at least three praying mantis in my back patio. I found the first two and told Boaz. He came out and I showed him the green one. 

He is beautiful and curvy. His back curves. His sits up more. 

I showed him the brown one. 

He is more like a stick. He is straight and more flat. 

Then Boaz saw the big one. 

He is a brown one also. But he is almost twice as long as the other brown one. 

I am hoping they are finding lots of aphids to devour. 

It's a happy thing, having praying mantis in the garden. 

Growth

My poor damaged rose that we transplanted is growing. At a reduced rate to be sure, but the leaves are unfurling and reaching for the sun. 

Two of the three spots of new growth in particular are determined to live. That is a happy. 

Also I check previous locations of praying mantis spottings. Today he was caught out in the open. He has doubled his length. He has managed to not be eaten by the birds. That is a happy too. 

I am hoping he has found a good spot of aphids to feast on. Good garden news. 

I spotted a baby

The first time I've seen a baby away from the original bush. 

There he is all green and camouflaged. Hiding on a calla lily that has not bloomed once this year, even though I water it a lot. Oh well the leaves are big and glossy. It is still beautiful and it is housing a baby. 

I saw them again

I have been better about watering my plants since I last saw the baby praying mantis. I have searched for any new sightings, but have been disappointed.

Today, Craig decided to do a bit of work outside. While he was gone running an errand, running a load to the DI truck, I decided to water the plants. Later I apologized for getting distracted and making his job harder. He just smiled at me and said it was okay.

Anyway, close to the place where we spotted the first baby, I had my eyes opened.

Do you see them? There are at least 4.

Here Boaz is trying to get one to climb on him while its siblings are trying to stay out of it.

Making friends.

You have to look close. He fades into the dead plants.

Legs and body parts poking out of the foliage.

I counted about 30. Now it was hard, it's not like there is a green one, a yellow one, a purple one, etc. I tried to count in one group or area, but I might have counted a few more than once, but still I am confident there were a lot. I'm also confident that I didn't see all of them that were there. So I am going out on a limb and saying there are more than 60 babies in my back hedges.

Finding joy in simple things.

Praying mantis

I bought a praying mantis egg case about two weeks ago. I have been hoping to see evidence of the babies. 

Here it is hidden in the shrub. 

Here is the close up of the egg case. 

I have been watching it to see any evidence of it having hatched. I have almost given up hope and even thought I might have bought a dud. 

The package said it would be impossible to tell the difference between before and after it hatched. 

It also said the hatching would last about half an hour and then the babies would hide themselves away. 

I have worried about the plentiful birds snatching them all up. 

And then . . . 

While I was watering the plants today I saw a baby. I called Josh and made him get my phone so we could document the blessed event. 

He is running off the leaf. Really it was the movement I saw first. 

Here he is perched on a piece of bark. Josh tried to pick him up on a stick, and then I let him man the camera and I picked him up. He decided to get a bit friendly. 

He is magnified. Those wrinkles are my knuckle wrinkles on my thumb. 

A profile on my wrist. It took a bit to get him back home in the wilds on our shrubs bordering our sidewalk back yard.

And then Josh took the time to get out of homework and play with the camera. 

A rollie pollie or a pill bug. 

A tiny inch worm. I have no idea how he spotted it. 

And then he was a bum and didn't let me take a picture of him. But you can see the size of our planting area. A small border of shrubs and some roses around our cement pad of a back yard. Oh well, it is home. And now we have some praying mantises to watch and admire. So fun.