A few days ago I went out and bought a container of praying mantis for my balcony garden. I was having trouble with aphids and the lady bugs just wouldn’t stay around long enough to eat them all up. I had some luck with the praying mantis at the school I teach at so I thought I would bring some into my own garden.

They are fascinating little creatures to watch and when they are so tiny, very easy to hold in your hands (perfect for a preschool teacher who is not too fond of bugs). So the other day I welcomed them into my garden and they went to work munching on those darn aphids. They seemed very content to pose for pictures as well.

This beautiful, sunny California Fourth of July I will be tending to my garden (and mantids), enjoying some Cinnamon Breakfast Popovers from Janice Cole’s Chicken and Egg cookbook, and hopefully working on my husbands long overdue birthday quilt.

Happy Gardening and Happy Fourth of July!