BE CAREFUL WHO YOU BRING INSIDE FOR THE WINTER

There are always a few lucky plants who get to spend the winter inside the house. Partly because the extra greenery is nice to have inside and partly because both potting shed and greenhouse will be full up again this year. Most of the ones which come inside will not require any water over the winter. If we are away for a period of time then plants which require more water will go in the potting shed where the humidity levels are higher.

Close inspection of plants is a necessity. After all, there are probably hitch hikers down there among the leaves. It's not unusual for me to bring lizards into the house. I was carrying in a sanseverai last year and as I walked down the hallway to the place where it was going to spend the winter I discovered an anole pressed up against the long leaves. I did a quick turnaround. Yesterday while moving this aloe plant a few feet out popped another anole. Such darling little critters. He must have just molted becasue you can see the old skin on his tail.

I brought some cactus inside but had to find new trays for them because on two of them the preying mantis had laid its egg case. I don't want a repeat of trying to catch all the little mantids as happened one year when the mantis laid its eggs on one of the branches on the lemon tree.
Make sure you check out your plants for hitch hikers.

GARDEN GOINGS ON

This is the first preying mantis I have seen this year and boy was she/he doing a dance. Wouldn't keep still jigging back and forward. I decided she was doing a rain dance because she was heading towards the sprinkler on the vegetable bed. Even the mantis is excited about our 40% chance of rain this weekend.

Then as I walked along the path and, what I can only assume was, a male monarch, swooped in onto, what I can only assume was, a female monarch and then began a violent, frantic, thrashing,  frenzied jig. Really!

Eventually things calmed down enough to get a clear picture and they eventually flew off together.

Earlier that morning, when I was inspecting the bloom on the yucca I noticed a leaf footed bug in one of the flower bud axils. He was so dozy I was able to pluck him off and dispose.

Nothing is going to spoil this bloom. Time is getting closer.