Black mantis...

Have you ever seen a black praying mantis? This one decided to visit us yesterday as we were sitting outside at the table and Kirstin took these pictures of him/her before he/she flew off into the trees.



He/she looks a little blurry, but you get the idea. Pretty cool camoflouge, huh?



And how do you like those green legs? The front legs are stripped!


Have a beautiful day!

Red Hot Poker Plant...

Since red is not my favorite color (have you guessed?), I have been hesitant about growing Red Hot Poker Plant (Kniphofia) for a long time. I considered growing it because it is attractive to hummingbirds and I love growing food for hummingbirds. But, I was torn - not red for me or red for my hummers.




Several years ago, I found a Red Hot Poker plant on clearance, so I decided to go ahead and give it a try. There was always the option of transplanting if it didn't work well for me.




Imagine how pleased I was when my Red Hot Poker plant bloomed YELLOW! Yellow fits in very well with my garden colors. I have Buddleias as "foundation plants" and when I look out my window, I see the purple Buddleias near and the yellow Red Hot Poker plant further out in the garden. It is a beautiful combination.




The hummingbirds still visit it, even though it is yellow and not red. So far this year, though, I haven't seen any hummers coming to it. But then again, I've only seen a hummingbird a couple of times this spring. They usually show up more frequently later in the summer.



That is my vegetable garden behind it. I finally got my tomatoes staked this morning. And between the tomatoes and the fence is Purple Basil. I like that combination, too.



One of these years, I will divide the clump and spread the yellow Red Hot Poker around the garden a little, so the little hummers can have even more nectar. And in the mean time, a little Praying Mantis can look for its next meal.


Have a beautiful day!

Pruning Buddleias...

Today some of my Buddleia's received my attention. I had already pruned a few of my bushes, but I finished the rest of them today. They are starting to put out lots of new growth, so it is time to get them pruned so they can put their effort into producing leaves and branches that won't get cut off. And so they can make lots of flowers for everyone to enjoy. Last year, I purposely underplanted this bush with bulbs and sedum, so when it got pruned it wouldn't look so pathetic underneath it. I think my plan worked.

{Buddleja davidii var. nanhoensis 'Nanho Blue'}

Tiger likes to sleep in the dappled shade that the Buddleias make, so, of course, he was under one of the bushes I started to prune. As I worked on that bush, he moved under a different bush. But, poor little guy, I had to prune that one, too. I saved some of the large branches and "made" a bush for him to take his naps under until the real bushes fill out again. (Please don't tell me you haven't, at some point, done something a little inane for your pets.)




I actually had another motive in saving Buddleia branches: they are filled with Praying Mantis egg cases. So, not only am I doing Tiger a favor (and he probably won't even go sleep under my fake bush now), I am helping to perpetuate the Praying Mantis population of my garden. I did put other branches with egg cases in several different places because the Praying Mantises will eat each other, as well as all kinds of other insects.


Have a beautiful day!