I spotted 6 little mantises out in the garden today. Four of them are hanging around on these morning glory vines. They’ve been there for awhile, so it must be a good spot.
Still Hanging Around
Category: 365 project
In Your Face Iris!
I have no idea what this flower is called, or even if it is actually an iris, but it looks like some sort of iris and it obviously wants to be noticed. I couldn’t help but notice it while walking to the post office. There was a whole row of these tropical-looking plants right in front of the bowling alley, beckoning me to drop in for a mai-tai served in a tiki mug. I actually don’t know if they do that there, but they should!
I took dozens of photos of objects around the house with my DSLR, intending to use one as my photo of the day here, but I ended up deleting all of them in a fit of disgust, so this cell phone Instagram photo is doing double duty.
Shell Shock
After uploading this, I got the idea that I should redo it at some point for a valentine’s day image (well, I’ve got some time).
Dinner in the Garden
There was a lot of organic pest control going on in the garden tonight. I thought the jumping spider eating a katydid was going to be my shot of the day, until I saw a baby mantis snacking on a big fly. It’s a jungle out there.
Rat Catcher
This isn’t my cat, I don’t know if she belongs to anyone. She often perches on top of my shed and watches for rats over the fence where there is a plot of neglected property.
The Wayback Machine
Pollinator Partnerships
I’m instagramming it today folks – another cell phone shot. After hearing the alarming news about thousands of bumble bees dying in Oregon on Monday, the result of improper use of pesticides, I felt compelled to post another photo relating to Pollinator Week and the organizations that exist to protect bees and educate the public. We really depend on these little guys, more than most people realize. It will be a tragedy beyond measure if we lose them.
www.xerces.org
www.pollinator.org
Sun Halo
Snapped this with my cell phone today. The ring around the sun was caused by ice crystals in the atmosphere.
Fly Fishing
I saw lots of raptors this evening while I was out walking, but only one osprey. I don’t usually see them on “my” part of the river, so even though the quality of this photo isn’t superb, it moved right up to the top of my photo of the day list. I didn’t see him catch a fish, but he did dive after them a couple of times. Hopefully he eventually caught something for dinner tonight.
National Pollinator Week
This bee was in trouble; trying to fly, but couldn’t. Kept grooming itself like it was trying to clean something off. This isn’t the first time I’ve found a bee in this state. I don’t use poison in my garden, but I can’t control what happens beyond my property. It could be the effects of poison, parasites, or something else entirely. Sad to see.
