Mantis Diary 10

It is now three weeks since I saw a praying mantis. There were dozens of nymphs at different stages in several parts of the garden. They all vanished overnight during a southerly gale that brought heavy rain and sent the temperature close to zero. They are rather resilient little creatures that are good at taking care of themselves and I hoped they would soon reappear, but I’ve searched thoroughly without success. There’s a possibility they are higher in the trees. I am short and can search only from my eye level down. I haven’t given up, but I do miss them. Going around each morning to check on how they were doing was my favourite part of the day.

The nymphs are not the only missing insects. I love taking macros of insects and spiders, but they are very hard to find. Usually my garden is alive with them. The only reliable visitors are the blowflies, courtesy of the sheep over the fence.