May you have many of these in your gardens this year. :O)

tiffy_z5_6_can

15 years ago

I love taking photos of bugs...

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Comments (32)

shoregrowin
Great thread Tiffy- Bugs rule! Very nice pics, I hope this is visible, I'm rusty at this!
shoregrowin
RATS!!!!

Hmmm.... trying again!

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Shemeows, this happened in one morning and they were all hatched and GONE. I almost missed it, but this was near our hose hookup so went right by them. I always wondered how many times I did miss their births (we have LOADS of mantis)
and how many I stepped on... :(
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shoregrowin
Great thread Tiffy- Bugs rule! Very nice pics, I hope this is visible, I'm rusty at this!
shoregrowin
RATS!!!!

Hmmm.... trying again!

{{gwi:361191}}

{{gwi:361193}}

{{gwi:361194}}

Shemeows, this happened in one morning and they were all hatched and GONE. I almost missed it, but this was near our hose hookup so went right by them. I always wondered how many times I did miss their births (we have LOADS of mantis)
and how many I stepped on... :(
shoregrowin
Great thread Tiffy- Bugs rule! Very nice pics, I hope this is visible, I'm rusty at this!
shoregrowin
RATS!!!!

Hmmm.... trying again!

{{gwi:361191}}

{{gwi:361193}}

{{gwi:361194}}

Shemeows, this happened in one morning and they were all hatched and GONE. I almost missed it, but this was near our hose hookup so went right by them. I always wondered how many times I did miss their births (we have LOADS of mantis)
and how many I stepped on... :(
shoregrowin
Great thread Tiffy- Bugs rule! Very nice pics, I hope this is visible, I'm rusty at this!
shoregrowin
RATS!!!!

Hmmm.... trying again!

{{gwi:361191}}

{{gwi:361193}}

{{gwi:361194}}

Shemeows, this happened in one morning and they were all hatched and GONE. I almost missed it, but this was near our hose hookup so went right by them. I always wondered how many times I did miss their births (we have LOADS of mantis)
and how many I stepped on... :(

Here is a link that might be useful: mantis babies hatching
floodthelast
15 years ago
oh I have one, here.
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nancy_drew
15 years ago
Oh... Tiffy! The Lady Bug is so cute! She's very healthy looking and shiney!

Bees are cool too, I'm sure to see a few of those, hopefully with some hummers and butterflies!
PVick
15 years ago
I love ladybugs! About 6 years ago, I bought some to let loose on the terrace - a bad aphid year. They had a feast! Only thing was, some of 'em got loose inside. Picture sitting, minding your own business and some ... thing ... comes zooming across your head! Seems like it was months before the last one left.

I don't buy them anymore, but I do encourage them to find a home with me, at least long enough to leave behind some "mementoes"!

{{gwi:361185}}

PV
gee_oh_nyc
15 years ago
Hi Tiffy!
I can only hope for ladybugs. They would be good for all the aphids I get. But last year another bug eater showed up:
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I'm hoping she set up house and that I'll see more this summer.
One thing I'm sure to see... beautiful flowers from the seeds you included in the last Round Robin. Thanks again tiffy.
v1rt
15 years ago
So ladybugs eat insects that destroys our plants?
tiffy_z5_6_can
Original Author
15 years ago
They sure do Neil!! They eat those drasted aphids.

Shoregrowin,
Your pic doesn't show... :O(

Gee,
I'd love to have Mantis. They are so cool! They don't live here, but maybe someday.

PV,
Those are too sweet! Munch munch.

Floodthelast,
That photo is really nice. Sometimes I have a problem catching those bussy workers with the camera.

Here's another one for everybody. When this 'it's so ugly it's funny' fellow grows-up, it becomes a moth of some kind. It's doing 'Peek-A-Boo'.
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ellenr22 - NJ - Zone 6b/7a
15 years ago
awww.
That bug sticking his head up sure is funny-looking.
I love preying mantis's. They are so noble looking. Somehow they always seem so placid and dignified.
Maybe cuz I've never seen one scamper.
brandymulvaine
15 years ago
How about several of these? This was taken in October, poor guy!
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What DO they eat?
-B
rosebush
15 years ago
Tiffy, I love the bug pics too! I'm always amazed at how many ladybugs I see in the garden, as well as preying mantis. And I also enjoy the little toads - I know some people will think that's gross, but I love seeing them hopping among the plants, knowing they will eat their share of bad bugs, too. :) Another reason to forego the pesticides and keep it organic. The wildlife is part of the fun of gardening for me.
ellenr22 - NJ - Zone 6b/7a
15 years ago
I love the wildlife too. I wish I could get frogs or toads. I read that if you put a flower pot upside down it will encourage them cuz they use it for shelter, but so far no luck.

I guess you have to be near some water to have them visit?
I'm in the woods - we have plenty of the other wildlife - such as deer groundhogs squirrels and rabbits.
budgiegarden
15 years ago
I had tons of praying mantis in my yard last year. They just showed up. It was cute for a while, but then they started hanging around my swing on my porch, and a couple of big ones actually came after me. I mean, they looked right at me in the eyes and started hightailing it in my direction and tried to jump on me. I hear they can give you a good pinch. That was so bizarre. I had to use a stick to get them to relocate to another part of my yard. Sheesh!
editornj
15 years ago
Thanks for the photos! I love to see color like that, especially this time of year. :)

Is there such a thing as too many lady bugs? I just moved into this house around Thanksgiving. Before we officially moved in we noticed there were many ladybugs in each room, either alive, or, sadly, not. Seemed like an awful lot. Thanks. (Sorry to hijack!)
shemeows
15 years ago
Thank you for starting this thread! All the pictures are fantastic.

I'm looking forward to seeing the praying mantid egg cases hatch. I've got four that I can see, so I can imagine those itty bitty baby aliens pouring out this summer.
brandymulvaine
15 years ago
Shoregrowin, they're so DARN cute!
Good job on the no spray garden Rosebush, my dad sprays, and his tomatoes always get hornworms, which I rescue and bring to my no spray garden. Even the tentworms have sanctuary here(the bats eat the moths you know!)
{{gwi:361034}}
-B
terrene
15 years ago
Shoregrowin, cool pics! Brandy, also very cool to see a bat eating the moths. I love all the critters too, including buggies - well, except for the pesky blood-suckers - but even those provide food for birds, bats, etc.

Ellenr, I don't have any water/ponds in my yard (except for bird baths) and find a few toads every year and last summer had tree frogs all over the place!! It probably helped that we had nearly 2 FEET of rain Jul-Aug. I have lots of wood piles, brush piles, cardboard laid down, which harbor a moist dark environment underneath for frogs and salamanders. This coming year, I am planning to install at least a small pre-formed frog pond and hopefully a larger pond with pump.

I found this little guy underneath the cardboard I had laid down for the winter-sowing containers -

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rosebush
15 years ago
Oh, what WONDERFUL photos, y'all! I'm really enjoying this thread! :)
retiredprof
15 years ago
I've been trying to buy praying mantis egg cases for years, but always miss the week when our local Southern States gets them in. They sell out in a matter of days. Has anyone had luck buying them online?

Prof
soonergrandmom
15 years ago
I love the good bugs but I have to say "No thanks" on the hornworms and the praying mantis.

"Praying mantises eat insects and other invertebrates such as other mantises, beetles, butterflies, spiders, crickets, grasshoppers, and even spiders. The praying mantises also eat vertebrates such as small tree frogs, lizards, mice and hummingbirds. Praying mantids can resemble flowers and can catch small, unknowing hummingbirds. Praying mantids also eat other nesting birds."
Quote from: http://www.insecta-inspecta.com/mantids/praying/
mmqchdygg
15 years ago
I guess this was the clearest pic I got of this one:

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tiffy_z5_6_can
Original Author
15 years ago
Ooooh, cool photos!! Of course we can't forget the butterflies. :O)

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Ellen,
We are surrounded by some woodlands and the closest water is Shad Bay but we still have toads and tiny tree frogs. I do put pots out, but am not sure if they use them. I know that the population has increased quite a bit since I don't use chemicals/synthetic fertilizers in the gardens and we now mow with a reel mower.

Terrene, I have Sallys too. They are so cute scurrying about.

Brandy, I will go out in the gardens in the evening and wave a broom handle or branch in the air just so I can call the bats to the property. I love to watch their antics. :O) They eat sooo many mosquitoes too!

mmqchdygg, That is a neat spider. The yellow is so bright. Mine are usually just brown and gray.

Hope to see more of our garden friends. :O)
brandymulvaine
15 years ago
Oh Tiffy I'm soooo jealous! You have bats! And Sallys? Is that like a mud-puppy? And tree frogs?!?! Thats it I'm moving to Tiffys!!LOL!! What kind of B-fly is that?

Mnqchdygg-I bet her name is Charlotte! She's beautiful
-B
floodthelast
15 years ago
Very cool pics. I think the bees are the only beneficial I get, lol. I have tons of grasshoppers and aphids. Not so many ladybugs, I've never seen a mantis here. We did relocate a salamander from grandma's to the ditch in the backyard. I hope he is happy there. Tons of mosquitos and my dog got heart worm, after much treatment she seems ok but we won't know till her regular check up in the fall.
This year I'm doing mosquito dunks for sure. I'm also going to plant way more annual flowers in and around my veg. gardens in an attempt to foil the baddies and attract the goodies.

That gray worm was icky looking, ewwwww. Especially the tufted eyebrows, lol.

The mantis babies were fascinating. I have to remember to show this thread to my daughter. I've never seen those before.

I will say that if you plant a bee balm don't put it right next to the front door of the house. It makes for some exciting times.
agirlsgirl
15 years ago
How about this handsome guy? :)

This is a Wheel Bug,it is a type of Assasin bug,a true bug! :) I was lucky enough to have found 2 adults and a few a babies this past summer! I think they are super cool! :)

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User
15 years ago
I have lots of Dragonflies in my gardens along with all the other flying creatures. This is one of my most favorite pics. I can't believe he let me get so close - almost like he was posing. He was sitting on top of a bamboo stick. Looks like a very happy guy, don't ya think?

{{gwi:361200}}

May you have many of these in your gardens this year. :O)

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May you have many of these in your gardens this year. :O)

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