Category Archives: Insects

Praying Mantis 2026-07-10

Large as the span of a hand, an insect-eating insect.

They’ll also eat anything else they can catch with their stereo vision, including frogs, lizards, and small birds.

Hand-span Mantis

Gretchen likes mantises.

Blondie is paying no attention. Continue reading →

Skeeter hawk bath 2025-07-21

This dragonfly repeatedly swooped down to the dog bath water and up.

Movie: Dragonfly drinking (34M)

I’m guessing it was drinking.

Maybe this is how they lay eggs?
If so, it will be disappointed, since we do change the dog bath water from time to time.

It’s much easier to see the insect in the video:

https://youtu.be/zqUusDsAhpA Continue reading →

Beautyberry 2025-06-15

Beautyberry fruits are setting: the flower petals are falling off and revealing the berries.

Not only are the flowers and berries pleasing violet colors,
the leaves repel insects and ticks, and you can make jelly and wine from beautyberries.

Beautyberry fruit setting, 2025:06:15 10:36:03

Once the berries get some color, you’ll see why it’s called beautyberry.
They’re a pleasing violet color.
The flowers are an even lighter violet.
Also, the whole plant smells good. Continue reading →

Skeeter hawk and blackberries 2024-06-05

We were picking blackberries when this skeeter hawk landed on me.

Dragonfly and blackberries

The dragonfly just sat there for many minutes while I picked with my right hand.

Eventually it flew away.

The blackberries are very ripe and tasty.

-jsq

Praying Mantis 2021-08-07

On the truck:

Mantis

It’s some kind of Mantodea.
Probably a native-to-Georgia Carolina Mantis,
Stagmomantis carolina.
Probably not the larger bird-eating species.
These ones eat insects.

Here’s Gretchen observing it. Continue reading →