A Conversation

YESTERDAY while mulching my flower garden with straw, I startled a praying mantis. He/She was smallish in size and rather leery of me. We had a conversation, or should I say I conversed with it. As he/she scrambled into a flower bush, I apologized for scaring him/her. "I'm going to be messing with this area while I weed and tuck in straw. I don't want to hurt you so show yourself while I'm doing this," I said and went on my way to gather more straw not sure if my message registered.

As I moved around the flower bush laying down fresh straw, I noticed the praying mantis, still leery, peek his/her head over some stems, "Oh there you are," I said. "I see you. I'll be careful, I promise."

Ever alert, the insect put his/her front legs together in prayer fashion and sitting at the top edge of the flower bush watched me as I finished mulching the area. Before I moved on, I smiled at him/her. "I won't bother you anymore," I said and continued down the flower bed.

I have had praying mantis in my flower beds for 4-5 years. This one was smaller than the others. I also have a pet little green frog that shows up from time-to-time and lounges behind a small wooden box in my outside cabinet. He's gone now—at least for the season.

Nature is amazing, isn't it?