Wordy Wednesday - December 20, 2023

 I've now found three praying mantis egg cases (or ootheca) around the yard.  There may be as many as 100 - 200 eggs in each case. They are probably from Stagmomantis californica, or California mantis. While I usually consider these "good guys," I recently read they are usually considered "neutral."  They only produce one generation a year (in these egg cases) so if there is an insect invasion they can't increase their population in response.  They will also eat beneficial insects such as ladybugs and bees.  Large mantises can even catch humming birds!  Plus, they will even eat each other, and the female will eat the male after mating, insuring she has enough protein to form healthy eggs. 

I forgot about the amaryllis a neighbor gave me earlier this year.  Forgot they are forced into bloom for Christmas.  I'd put the pot on a table under an overhang, watered it a bit throughout the summer.  The other day I remembered I ought to see what it was doing.  Not blooming of course, I didn't force it, and they are naturally spring bloomers.  But, I took it out of the pot and it was full of new roots.  So, I repotted it in new soil.  It's a really pretty red one with huge flowers from Harry & David.   When it starts growing I should feed it.  (Another missing blog post, that of the blooming amaryllis.)  Our winters are usually too cold for them to survive in the ground.

I got this great metal garden thingy in the Goodwill Bins recently.  I wish there had been more.  There probably were, just in different bins, on different days.  It's perfect for decoratively edging a bed, or functionally barricading one.  It's very heavy metal.