There is an old saying that goes a bit like this: “Sometimes what you are looking for is right in front of you.”
In my case it is this praying mantis pod. Every winter I scour the meadows and woodlands near my home for a praying mantis pod. Praying mantis are one of the very best of the predator bugs for a garden. They also look great in photographs and don’t mind being carried around and placed in poses. I usually find at least one pod every year and carry it home. I tuck it in a spot that seems safe from hungry squirrels, and wait until Springtime for the baby mantis to emerge. (This once happened in my kitchen when I unwisely kept the pod inside for too long)
I have found one mantis pod and a moth cocoon on my walkabouts this year. Unfortunately, it had been washed into a puddle by the overrun of the creek in the hard rains we have experienced. Imagine my surprise yesterday, when I looked out my window and finally focused on what has certainly been in place for months. Yes, a praying mantis pod right outside my kitchen window. In my opinion a gift from God. In all my searching I missed what was right in front of me. Hmmm….enough said.
