This is one of my strawberry beds. Notice anything unusual?
Here, let me zoom in a bit:
This lady seems to have made the strawberry bed her territory. I see her almost every day. I don't see her when I'm brushing through the plants looking for ripe berries; but boy howdy, whenever I water the plants, she comes racing to the top of the leaves, boiling mad at getting wet.
I can almost hear the stream of four-letter words issuing from her mouth at the indignity of getting soaked.
Praying mantises are vicious hunters, so I like having her in my strawberry bed. What better way to keep unwanted insects at bay?
I really should think of a name for her. Gertrude, perhaps? That seems too tame somehow....
Karen? LOL
ReplyDeleteName suggestions: how about these? Maude means battle mighty, or Sandra means defending warrior, or Camilla means legendary warrior maiden. FYI - Gertrude means strong spear, so it would fit. But "Gertie" just doesn't have the right ring to it. 😉
ReplyDeleteXena!
ReplyDeletesaint gertrude is the patron saint of gardeners..found out tru dream
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDid I post these?
ReplyDeleteArtemis, Olympias, or Eurydice.
Trudie might be good... It's an extra bit of punk spunk from good old fashioned Gertrude.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago we were feeding humming birds. I saw a praying mantis near one of the feeders but did not think much about it. Later I saw that mantis eating a humming bird on the ground under the feeder. I relocated any that I saw near a feeder later.
ReplyDeleteI found one ON the bottom of one of my hummingbbird feeders last week. I relocated it to the garden post haste.
DeleteWe used to have one on a hibiscus tree named Julian. I miss that little fella...
ReplyDeleteVictoria - ruler of her domain!
ReplyDeleteCool photos. I haven't seen a green mantid in years. We seem to have only the ones with brownish wings. I prefer yours for purely aesthetic reasons.
ReplyDeleteHere’s a question for you. Have you seen Bill Nyes latest series called “The End is Nye”? It’s streaming on Peacock. It’s a fascinating look at various end of the world scenarios. I’d love to know what your readers think!
ReplyDeleteCall her Brunhilde after the Valkeries - or just Valkerie. Oh - and get her a tiny horned helmet.
ReplyDeleteFreya, the Norse goddess of war.
ReplyDeleteBertha, after the old battle axe that kept the kids in line at the skating rink when I was small…
ReplyDelete