Yes, two different subjects. Remember that very young praying mantis I had shared a few posts ago? She was hanging out on my kitchen window screen, looking just adorable, as all babies do. Well, I went out my kitchen/back porch door the other day, and who do you think was there waiting for me? That little mantis all grown up. Can I be sure it’s the same one? Possibly not, but she’s the right color and in the same area as the youngster.
Mantises are very brave creatures. They don’t run when giants approach. I spoke to her very softly, and came down on my knees to take her photo, making no fast moves. As you can see, she remained very calm, and did not assume her praying, pre-attack position. She cocked her head this way and that as I spoke to her, having no need to defend herself. They are such fascinating insects, so alien looking, and immensely powerful in their ability to catch their prey. They can take on small birds and frogs, but are generally most beneficial in the garden where they eat pests. (I say “she”, by the way, because females are longer than males, and she is the greater length.)
And in other news, book news, here are two excellent reads:
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton – With an exquisite use of the language, Kate Morton tells a tale that spans multiple generations over a century, from the early 1900’s to 2005. It is at once a mystery of family origins, but carefully weaves in loss, duplicity, family dysfunction, even a murder, and a real sense of place in Brisbane, Australia, and London and Cornwall in the UK. It begins with the question as to why a 4-year-old child has been abandoned and sits alone on a wharf in Brisbane with a small, white suitcase. There is not a chapter doesn’t end in a real page turner and new revelation. It is not the shortest book I’ve read, but once you begin, you’ll be so invested, you won’t even notice. It’s a great piece of historical fiction. And fairy tales … did I mention there is an Authoress who writes fairy tales?
Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty (You may know her from Big, Little Lies) is also a mystery, but takes place in current day. It is a character study of sorts of three families whose lives intertwine over just a few days, beginning with the lead up to “The Day of the Barbecue”. Moriarty keeps you on the edge of your seat as you plunge forward wondering what this tragedy could possibly be, and I assure you, it’s one you will never expect.
The balance of the book brings you deeper into the minds of those involved, until you find a quietly stated but chilling conclusion at the end. An excellent read.
What I found interesting on a personal note is that I chose both books on the recommendations of two friends, each of whom has a good idea of my reading tastes. And each book is by an Australian author, and takes place in Australia, the home of Ethicool, the publisher of my forthcoming book. No coincidences, I say.
Still A Dreamer 
Oh, I love your sweet praying mantis and the gentle relationship you share. May it continue to blossom!
And thanks for the book recommendations. Just finished a series and then Penny’s new Gamache, so my to-read pile is diminishing…and we can’t have that!
Take good care and peace to your week. Xoxo
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Thanks, Kitty. I seem to see at least one a year. I guess the rest are less social.
I just started The Vanishing Half which looks to be fabulous. It is so true – so many books, so little time!! I have been moving slowly through Penny’s books, and have 3 or 4 ahead of me. I savor them with space in between.
You, too!! ❤️
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I have been keeping an eye on a tiny moth on my Plumeria (Frangipani, another name I like), and though interesting, it was so tiny that I have not been able to get a good photo of it, as it runs down the tube of the flower. But today when looking, there was a tiny preying mantis, (what a double whammy of a name). But that tiny fellow crawled up my finger so I could lift him up to the top flowers to take a a photo… Got it, but then I discovered that my son Mark took the memory chip home with him after we also took some drone photos, so I must have him send me the photos of my little mantis, and some great photos of the roof of my house, among other things. Ha~! Oh mantis there moth gone~!
PS Spell check neither likes the words Plumeria, nor Frangipani, guess they have never been to Hawaii so have never had a good lay (lay~?) Maybe that should be “lei” but maybe not, after all they are native to Mexico not Hawaii, anyway~!
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As strange as the praying mantis may look, you can’t help but be drawn to them. I’m sure the photos are great.
Yes, it is lei :-)
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another play on words, sorry about that~!
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You’re so right…they ARE fascinating!
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Do you see them in Texas, too? They seem to like the climate here, but not sure how much heat they like. Are you OK with Ida in the area?
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Oh I have seen those little fellows all the way from the NorthWest territories and Alaska, down through the Americas to Punta Arenas, Chile.
They look alike in dark green to dark brown taking on the color of the leafage and are all more or less tame, maybe thinking that looking like a stick is safe~! they range from tiny to almost huge~! You find them anywhere there is another bug or small bird to eat~! I still do not have a picture from yesterday, but if you look real close at the photo in my header, you will see the tiny moth he was after~!
I feel a poem coming on, after my bout last night with that damn cricket, and me yelling “Quick Henry the Flit~!”
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I don’t remember seeing any, but research tells me that there are several types living here.
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As ti IDA, it is far away from me, but it is once again destroying the beautiful lands that I grew up in… Like the mantis, it will come back though, as it always has, sadly, less a few unfortunate people.
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Being this insect is one of my all-time favorites, I enjoyed your images. I haven’t seen one myself in ages. I still remember as a kid picking them up by their waist and soon releasing them as they would use their saw-like arms as a defense mechanism. I also remember actually witnessing the birth of hundreds of babies crawling out of their egg case. Thanks for sharing.
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Wow – watching them emerge from their egg cases would be fascinating. I see at least one every year. One year on a second story screen – though how or why he got that high I don’t know – an adult had Claude’s full attention. Claude didn’t know what to make of it, but also didn’t bother it either.
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Mantids look like little ETs to me. They’re fun to watch. I noted the books. I don’t read much fiction, but sometimes I just want a story to fall into. These both sound good.
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Yes – wee aliens. The Forgotten Garden – up your alley – is so engrossing, even if long. Much of the book takes place in Cornwall on an estate with a maze, gardens, and the most meaningful of all, the forgotten garden. I will read Kate Morton again!
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This winter will be the perfect time to read that book. Sounds like it has all the elements that I like.
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