I was making ash for the chickens’ dust bath when I saw a cute little jumping spider on the table. I like her scientific name: Phidippus mystaceus (as identified in iNaturalist). My photo doesn’t show her high eye lashes, but you can see them in pictures others have taken of the species. The hardwood ash making process went well. It is amazing how much better the wood burns when it is dry. (Insert eye roll.) I mix the ash with equal parts of dirt and diatomaceous earth and put the mixture in on old tire in the runs. The first batch almost completely disappeared after a day! It is amazing how much dust they can get in their feathers. I have been lax making their dust bath powder with the summer heat and burn bans, then the subsequent downpours. Now that the more pleasant fall weather is nearing, I should be able to get outside more.

Here is another insectile predator: the praying mantis. This one hanging out on the house isn’t nearly as large as the mantis guarding the water station the other day, but still a nice specimen. He was eye balling a white-dotted prominent moth. The moth also has an amusing scientific name: Nadata gibbosa.

That is the biggest praying mantis I’ve ever seen in the wild. Rather than water my plants now and put my hand anywhere near her, maybe I’ll just come back later. Yes. Later. Good hunting.

I wondered where all the snails went. Actually, I’m still wondering where they were hiding, waiting for the rains before making a mass exodus. They were everywhere: crawling up the siding of the house (one snail made it up two stories), over the patio and the grass, and even on the dog droppings. Wha? Yup. My eldest found masses on the droppings as she was scooping. Interesting.

My eldest likes to catch critters. The only one that has ever bit her here was a grasshopper! Here are a few she caught recently in the back yard!