A Throwback to the 90s

 For those who remember the anti-drug commercials:

This is your horse

This is your horse on alfalfa

Japanese Beetles - Yummy chicken treats, fun kids game

 Not the roses!

The Japanese Beetle:

A species of the scarab beetle,

Eater of over 300 types of plants including roses.

 

 There are a million and one ways to try to deter or get rid of these pesky bugs, but this post is going to focus on a fun game I've devised to keep kids entertained and the chickens happy.

All you'll need is -  a small bucket or bowl/s of water and a tub of water for the chickens to be able to eat out of.

Then, go hunting.  

When you find a beetle or a cluster of them, carefully hover the bowl just underneath of the beetles and give the plant a little shake or flick the beetle into the water.  I usually use a hard plastic or metal bowl because it makes it more difficult for the beetles to try to climb out.  Once you get a group of beetles in the water, though, they usually start grabbing hold of each other and forget about trying to climb out of the bowl.  

 

Four down.  A million to go.
 

Kids can make it a game to see who can catch the most in their bowl or bucket.  Even when it's just my daughter and me, the idea of 'going on a wild, dangerous hunt' gets her excited.  The focus coming out of her when she's hunting for beetles is adorable.

Once the hunt is over, or you've gotten all you can find or have time to find, simply pour the bowl or water and beetles into the tub.  The chickens will go after them like they're bobbing for apples.

Happy chickens.  Happy roses.

There's one in every herd

 

Sunsets really are breathtaking

 

I stand before You

A completely vulnerable soul

Gazing at shades of fire

Nestled in the sky.

In one blink it is blinding

In the next, it is gone.

A heartfelt memory

Of Your breathtaking wonder

And a tiny glimpse of the majestic beyond.

Wait! Those weird, foam things are praying mantis eggs?

 

What are those things?

You've probably seen them.  The weird, foam balls that suddenly appear on stems and branches in the later part of summer.  As a kid, you might have taken a stick and stabbed it to see what, if anything, was inside.  Though, one doesn't always have to be a kid to want to do that as my husband proved just two years ago while we were pulling weeds and readying the flower beds for fall.  He started stabbing at the ball of foam like an excited eight year old only to be blown away when I screamed, "Stop!"

Don't worry, he didn't get in trouble.

So, what are they?!

If you haven't already guessed based off of the title of this post, those hard, foam looking balls are, in fact, praying mantis eggs.  To be correct, the foam balls are protective cases for the 100-300 praying mantis eggs that are inside.  The foam case is a protective agent against predators, though this seems to backfire when it comes to curious humans.  It also insulates the eggs to keep them safe during the harsh cold period in the winter.

Praying mantis typically lay their eggs in the fall, before frosts set in.  Usually, praying mantis lay their eggs about a foot or two off of the ground, though I have found them at all sorts of heights, with stems and branches being the preferred base.  If you have vines growing along a side of your house that gets more sun, try looking for praying mantis eggs there.  I have some poison ivy vines in this photo that I was getting ready to tear down only to hold off because of the large number of praying mantis eggs that I found.

Once spring begins, a few warm weeks are usually needed before the eggs hatch.  Unfortunately, there is no way to tell by looking at the foam case if the eggs have hatched or not.  That is, unless you are lucky enough to see the younglings coming out of the foam case.

And now we know what those weird foam things are.