I just received an ID on the moth from JR in the Bug life cubit

Virginia Ctenucha
a wasp moth

How interesting. I've never seen a wasp moth that I know of!n LOL I'm going to check it out! JR is amazing with the camera and her bug ID's!!

I've seen a few baby mantids in my yard lately, or seen the same one several times. I never saw one that small. Only about an inch long, and skinny.

Karen

I've seen some small mantids this year too. I keep thinking.... why are they so small?? I guess they are babies. I haven't seen any of the really big praying mantis like I usually see. But it must be a good sign to see the babies.

They are definitely in the top list of beneficial insects. But the small babies will only be able to feed on aphids and ants and such.

I think there are several different types of mantis and some do not get very large.
also the males are smaller and in my opinion meaner.
I move the large females around the garden but the males are temperamental, I have been hooked a couple times.

This mantis is an adult and I have never seen one of this type more than two inches long.

He's camoflaged pretty good there... kinda looks like a miss-struck nail. lol

there must be hundreds of varieties of the mantids... maybe these little ones are a small species.

Funny Story: I saw a small one, probably just a half inch in size; it was making tiny little clear droplets on the window in a group. I got closer to see what it was doing... it turned it's head to look at me, you know how they do that head turny thing, and it lifted one of it's front legs that looked like it had a suction cup on it and waved it back and forth.. it was rather strange like it was waving at me so of course I waved back and it did it again, and again!!! Isn't that funny.... or should I not be telling that story?

I never was able to figure out what it was doing up there.... but the image stuck in my head with those funny looking suction cup looking feet, or hands!!

Sounds like he was peeing on your window

Karen

...must have been a "he" then!

This mantis is licking water drops off her leg. normally they hate to get hosed and run , this one seemed to appreciate the drink.

That's a great shot Cinda!

It's been quite hot here too. There are dragonflies in my garden that swoop down into the spray mist while I'm watering. But dragonflies love water! And they are definitely predators, gobbling up many pests.

This cutie has been hanging out for a couple of weeks now.
I'll have to go back and see what species......

And a bonus ~ the dragonfly loves to snack on mosquitoes; something I haven't found biting me in the garden lately!

On another note......

This is a Cuckoo Bee, probably Triepeolus sp. and definitely not nice!

The female lays her eggs in the nests of other solitary nesting bees.

They sort of look like a cross between a bee and a wasp. Usually found hovering close to the ground, sneaking around looking for the burrows where native solitary bees nest, and then like a thief, they slip into the burrow and lay their eggs. The hatched larvae then eat the host's food and parasitize (kill and eat) the host's larvae.

~

are they aggressive? They look rather mean.

This one acted more like a bee, I didn't bother it and it didn't bother me... but I was cautious because he did look like a wasp and many wasps are agressive.

There are some cuckoo bees/parasitic bees that are agressive. One in particular from the genus Sphecodes called a Sweat bee. It's actually attracted to perspiring skin, and they will sting you! The Sweat bee females (which are known to be more agressive than males) are red and black, having bright red abdomens ~ You may have seen these in swimming pools.

But if I'm out watering and I see any wasp looking things flying near me, they usually get the sharp sting with a quick turn on my adjustable sprayer to "Jet spray!"

fighting with water I like that.

Thank you. I've found it to be very effective.

I have been planting as many plants as I can find for bees and other pollinators. These have been the most successful this year:

Sedums
Alliums, both ornamental and culinary (when allowed to flower)
Asters
Helianthus 'Lemon Queen'
Veronicastrum 'Fascination'
Perovskia 'Blue Spires'
Agastache 'Blue Fortune'
Agastache 'Golden Jubilee'
Calamintha nepeta ssp nepeta
Nepeta 'Joanna Reed'
Basil 'African Blue'
Scilla siberica
Hyacinthus 'Blue Festival'

I am sure I am forgetting many others. But when the sun is shining and the temperatures are warm enough, all of the plants mentioned above are swarming with a frenzy of activity.

Wow, Corey, thank you for your list of pollinator attractors.

Flowering mint, although an aggressive herb in the garden, attracts all kinds of pollinators. I had some growing this year in a patch of my garden that is isolated from the rest, and then I just added some other plants in pots so they wouldn't have to compete. Sort of a "If you can't beat it, join it" tactic.

If you like attracting butterflies, zinnias do a great job!