We usually have to buy a kit to see beetle metamorphosis, but an Asian Lady Beetle pupated on the fence gate and when it emerged, stayed on the fence. Yes, I know the Asian Lady Beetles are an invasive species, but it was still neat to see the transformation not under glass.
Yes, these photos are all of the same individual. Yes, it is December. 2020.
We were hanging outside in the hammocks when my youngest said that the puppy had something, and it was moving! This praying mantis was not happy to be snuffled. It looked like it was getting ready to molt, because its eyes were cloudy and the wings looked glued down. It was safely transferred to a nearby tree out of the puppy’s reach.
Ok, so I’m becoming a bit obsessed about these little guys. Since little is known about them, and we seem to have an active population nearby, I’ve decided to catalogue all the individuals I encounter. Unfortunately, I mostly see them around the house where the exterminator has been, but when moved out to the lichen encrusted woodpile, they either recover, or are otherwise spirited away. They seem to be quite hardy, and I’ve read that they play dead. Fascinating. So this is the start of my catalog. I’ve documented four individuals over three years, two of which were found in the last week. I say individuals because they all have a different carapace pattern. The next question: do they change pattern when they molt? I’m hoping that answer is no, but I will add it to my study questions.
My eldest rescued a praying mantis from a spider web and it sat on this pipe for a full day, looking around, but not leaving. Very interesting!
Either the old leopard frog found his way back in, or a new leopard frog found the watering hole. Either way, I’m not relocating this one. The chickens leave it alone and he seems to be quite happy living under the foot bath. I just need to be careful when I clean out the water so I don’t squish him. He didn’t really have a choice on costumes either. You can’t be moist and do a runner through the coop right now without picking up a few feathers from the massive drifts across the runs.
Critters and Craft 