Tag Archives: insects

{praying mantis hatching}

20 Jun

i thought this would be a good post to celebrate the summer solstice! 😀

i have always been somewhat obsessed with the praying mantis. for as long as i can remember, i just thought they were so cool, and when i was a kid i used to look for them everywhere i would go! i saw one giving itself a bath one time and it was just about the most amazing thing ever. until i saw THIS! something i have had on my “bucket list” for a while…

backtrack a bit – when i lived in north carolina, a friend of mine found a praying mantis pod {aka ootheca} and saved it for me. i, of course, totally freaked out about it and immediately went to read about how to care for it… then i took a bunch of photos of it and eventually put in my garden…

i did not get to see that one hatch at that time, but this year… i totally made up for it. i found at least a dozen of these in my garden earlier this year. and in late spring, they all began to hatch… and all of these baby praying mantids started to emerge!

IT WAS SO COOL!!!

fun facts :

baby praying mantids are called nymphs. they hatch by the dozens {or sometimes hundreds} a while after the mama creates her ootheca pod {which tranlates to “a place to keep.”} praying mantids are so good for the garden! they are beneficial predatory insects… which basically means they prey the harmful insects which would otherwise harm or eat plants! and i just totally adore them!

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{praying mantis egg case : part 2}

3 May

garden season is finally here! which means my happiness meter just skyrocketed! 🙂

i recently gave my praying mantis egg case an apartment upgrade by relocating it to the community garden. i {safely} tied it to a trellis in my plot.

the praying mantis serves as a wonderful addition to any garden, since they are a beneficial insect. they prey on other insects that may otherwise be harmful to crops and soil.

plus, they are totally fascinating to admire and watch! and i am hoping i am able to witness the case hatch and capture it on film!

i will be checking on it regularly, so stay tuned for more updates!

#farmeraudrey

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{praying mantis egg case : part 1}

29 Apr

a good friend of mine recently gifted me with this very unique and beautiful creation from nature.

have you ever seen such a thing?! do you have any idea what it is?!

i suppose the title of this blogpost gives it away 🙂

this is a praying mantis egg case!!!

as many of you may know about me, i am somewhat obsessed with the praying mantis. i had never seen an egg case before, but i was completely thrilled when this showed up in my life! {i think i even cried a little}

and so of course, i had to take some {perhaps too many?!} pictures!

i think the details are just so mesmerizing and are something to behold and appreciate! Continue reading →

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{calvin the crazy caterpillar… and his shadow!}

21 Jun

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you know i kind of have a thing for insects, right?!  did you meet adam ant… or francis the praying mantis?!

 

 

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{animal messengers : the centipede}

5 Apr

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i found this little guy {or gal? … are they asexual?!} in my tiny house the other day… and i think it’s so cool i was able to kind of capture the little legs!!!

i may have been a little freaked out at first, but that’s what you get when you live in the mountains – you have to learn to share your space with all of nature, as you are on her turf.  when i looked up what this creature “represented” {according to some}, i read terms like psychic revelations, ability to survive stress, and this : “it is a wonder that something so small can humble even the largest and most threatening of creatures and people.” which clearly made me feel so good and comforted – cuz i am small, myself – but only physically 😉

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i happily scooped him up onto a piece of paper and released him outside… but not before snapping a couple quick fotos.  little bugger is FAST, too!  i could only fire off two shots before he creeped down into a crevasse and scurried away…

apparently some centipedes are poisonous?!  {yikes!} but not here in colorado, from what i’ve been told and read. i am thankful for my little gift of a centipede messenger.  at the time i didn’t think much of it, but after reading about the energy this creature carries, i feel super blessed to have had it cross my path…

 

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{harry & carrie – the spider and ladybug : bringing messages of protection, renewal, and gentle strength}

16 Nov

i have lots of animal energy surrounding me… i mean, we all do… we just have to pay attention and keep our hearts open.  i believe it’s one of the ways the universe speaks to us – through animal energy.  i’m one to notice patterns, almost obsessively, and therefore i can usually recognize when there is a message trying to reach me.

i saw dragonflies quite often during my meditations when i lived in denver. dragonfly’s message is about transformation and seeing through life’s illusions… which was so fitting for what i was experiencing at the time.

lately i’ve been seeing lots of spiders.  i’ve always had spiders around me… which used to totally freak me out.  *quiver* who likes spiders?! anyway – over the years i kept seeing them and i found myself actually photographing them quite a bit.  i’m fascinated by their intricate webs and their stillness. and spider’s message is one of creativity – to weave our own web of destiny… and to be patient during the process 🙂

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harry the spider

harrythespider-2  Continue reading →

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{foto friday} – the time i watched a praying mantis bathe herself…

17 Aug

this was hands-down, one of the coolest things i’ve ever witnessed with my own eyes.

this post is kind of wordy – as i tend to be when i write.  get me in front of people for a speech?!  pffssthh, forget it.  i’m a hott mess.  but writing — now, writing i can do!

—

last year – around this time, a little later – i’ll say late september… i found a pregnant praying mantis on our front porch, just hanging out in the honeysuckle bush my roommate has planted by the kitchen window.  i about fell over.  i’ve had a total fascination with these neat little creatures my whole life… i never really understood what the draw to them was, but last year when i saw one i did a little research.  there are lots of different opinions and thoughts as to their symbolism.  they are said to bring stillness, sense of peace, and more internalized thinking.  because they are so mindful about their every move, the mantis is known in some parts of the world as being very spiritual and she is looked upon as almost a meditation resource. i thought i read somewhere that they can also represent death… a surrender, a letting go, etc. and ironically enough, i lost my grandmother about 2 months after i saw that praying mantis last year. Continue reading →

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{the foto} the little ant that could…

17 Jul

so, i’m doing my morning yoga yesterday and it’s a lovely morning… the sun is hot as per usual here in colorado even at 9 a.m. i was resting in corpse pose, breathing in the quiet morning air, when i suddenly heard this scraping sound along the concrete. i had my two furry four-legged children out with me, but they were accounted for.  so, i lift up my head to see what is the noise, and that’s when i connect with mister adam the ant. — as he’s dragging a seemingly no-longer-living “rollie pollie” across the small walk in my backyard. just like this :

i was a little confused, having just learned in that moment that perhaps ants are not vegetarians… hmm, curious. Continue reading →

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