Found this cute little, not much more than 1" long, Praying Mantis (my favorite garden bug) in the garden early this morning, having breakfast. Looks to be the last of a cucumber beetle.
Don't be shy, have another bite! In fact, have another BEETLE!
I found the mantis on a zucchini plant leaf. There are loads of mantis in the garden, which is a great thing to see. They eat lots and LOTS of bugs!
The grasshoppers are starting to do lots of damage to the bean bed, and I'm seeing some grasshopper damage on some of the rattlesnake pole beans. You'll probably laugh, but last night, between 11pm - midnight, I spent about an hour in the garden snipping grasshoppers (and other bad bugs) into bits with my garden snips. They don't move so fast at night, and are easy prey as they sit on top of leaves, on the trellis wires, etc. Mwhahahahahaaaa!! Makes me feel so EVIL! *grin*
The pumpkin plant is a good distance from the garden, at the end of the drain field. Growin' good!
The cucumber vines are LOADED with blooms, and I'm finally starting to see female flowers and itty bitty cucumbers. Now let's hope the pollinators do their job for me! There aren't enough hours in the day for me to hand pollinate the cucumber flowers.
The Juliet tomato plants have big clusters of tomatoes, like this one. This one got so heavy and kept resting on the ground, so I had to give it a little support tie to keep it up off of the soil. I wish it wasn't quite so HOT here ... we'd have even MORE tomatoes than we do! High temps like we've been having keep flowers from pollinating, and tomatoes don't set. Bummers. But the plants have lots of tomatoes that it needs to put energy into growing, so all is not lost.
Here is Shorty, checking in on the okra plants. I have to keep them wrapped, or Shorty (and the armadillo) dig them up. Shorty is such a good helper. Eventually, when the plants are bigger, I'll remove the netting and the tomato cages.
And he thinks he's so handsome. I agree. *grin*
My, that Shorty is a looker! I'll bet all the ladies swoon when he struts by. We have praying mantises around here. Sometimes when I'm watering with the hose, I'll cover one (without seeing it), and it will come fighting up out of the water. They are fierce bugs but so fascinating. Sounds like you need all the help you can get with the insect population. Go get 'em!
Posted by: Shellie Daniel | June 13, 2011 at 08:48 PM
I'm going to have nightmares about your grasshopper story. You seriously got close to them in the DARK and snipped them into pieces?!?! >
The praying mantis is cool looking though :)
Posted by: Jennifer | June 08, 2011 at 12:11 PM
Shorty is absolutely amazing!!! how beautiful...sooo its the grasshoppers that do the damage to the beans..ours are looking a bit like your beans, maybe I'll have to make a midnite trip outside.. I laughed hysterically about you snipping them..too funny. Kind of the mind set that I have when I "torch" the Japanese beetles from our raspberry patch...found its the best way, they LOVE it..,hahha!!! I did get Neem oil, and still waiting on the liquid copper!!!! LOVE your pics of the Texas life...
Posted by: Kellie | June 07, 2011 at 06:20 PM
excellent pictues today! If it wasn't for all the "free range" chickens that roam the yard Anna would be even more torqued about bugs after dark..... I remember once when as a boy loose in town on a saturday (dangerous) I saw chocolate covered grasshoppers canned in a local upscale department store!..... and ants too! Maybe this is a good idea for another "crop from Anna's garden! They have big legs on them Texas hoppers, yum yum........Love, Dad
Posted by: DK Wight | June 07, 2011 at 08:04 AM
Just want to say thanks for all the cool garden pictures you post. They are fantastic.
Posted by: Connie Good | June 07, 2011 at 05:27 AM
from a city girl like myself, i can't tell you how much i enjoy your posts about your garden and farm critters. your photos and "tales of the day" give me such joy. thanks for sharing your life. mine seems so mundane in comparison, and every time i read your posts i think...where does she get the energy to do everything she does? you are amazing! besides being extremely talented!! oh, it must be awful to be you! (grin!)
Posted by: sherry vogt | June 07, 2011 at 03:49 AM
I agree too, Shorty is a looker :)
Love looking at pictures of your garden. Mine is almost a month old and growing so slowly! The bugs were doing a number on my beans, as well as the bunnies on my eggplants! I had to put chicken wire all around my raised beds, hmpf. I did see one itty bitty tomato on my pear tomato plant though, yippee!
ps...keep cuttin' those bugs!
Posted by: Danielle | June 06, 2011 at 09:05 PM
"I spent about an hour in the garden snipping grasshoppers (and other bad bugs) into bits with my garden snips"...WOW!!!! Well, you know what they say, the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem...bwahahahahahaha!!!!
Posted by: Sherri D. | June 06, 2011 at 06:42 PM
FANTASTIC PICTURES! LOVE THE MANTIS, I HAVE SOME HERE, TOO. I FOUND A BABY ONE THE OTHER DAY; IT WAS ABOUT 1/4" LONG. AMAZING!
YOUR VEGGIES ARE GORGEOUS, AND THE ROOSTER TOO. BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS!!! :D
Posted by: diane mcvey | June 06, 2011 at 05:28 PM
Lookin' good! And to think I haven't even planted my flowers yet! Shame on me. LOL. Have a great week. Robin B.
Posted by: Robin Barwacz | June 06, 2011 at 03:56 PM
Your praying mantis photos are awesome - and those tomatoes look mighty fine!! :)
Posted by: Tamara W | June 06, 2011 at 12:41 PM
oooo Shorty you ARE Handsome! The garden looks really good even in the dry heat. We are very hot and humid today. YUCKY. This could be a LONG HOT summer. Stay cool, hugs...
Posted by: Carol Dee | June 06, 2011 at 12:25 PM
YOUR veggies are what MY veggies dream of looking like! Shorty is very handsome indeed, and is proof that good things come in small packages.
I just cannot imagine snipping grasshoppers, though, the crunch would get to me. I had to scrape hundreds of them off my car one year, they even got into the heating system. Toasted grasshoppers--yech!!
Posted by: Diane M | June 06, 2011 at 11:18 AM
he he he - my brother and I as kids used to go down the potato rows - one on each side...and using a small piece of bark (didn't want to touch them -eeeewww! lol) push the potato bugs (maybe they were japanese beetles?) into a container of vegetable oil...mom said they suffocated quickly and it was...I quote...'a good death'...lol...
Posted by: Cindy Lyles | June 06, 2011 at 11:17 AM
Boy does your garden look good! And Shorty is a handsome guy! This is actually my second visit today! My youngest granddaughter is your biggest fan. When she comes over now the first thing she does is run to the computer to visit the "picture lady". LOL!
Posted by: Dee in N.H. | June 06, 2011 at 10:09 AM
Shorty is a very handsome guy! Your garden looks wonderful and all those tomatoes, oh my!
Posted by: VivIan | June 06, 2011 at 10:03 AM