Praying... or Preying?

I have always loved these guys! Growing up in Wisconsin  

we were more prone to find the well camouflaged Walking Stick

than the menacing Praying Mantis! I'm thinking this one is young; 

given the vibrant color and the fact that it's just barely 

the length of my index finger.  About four years ago we 

had a high population count; perhaps this too will be a good year!

The Cicada Cycle...

Early this a.m. (pre-dawn) a young Cicada emerged

from its nymph stage body... to its adult splendor!

It all played out on one of our resurrection lilies,

which just appeared this week.

After pouring my cup of coffee and snapping these

photos... some of our neighborhood ruffians (grey squirrels)

showed up on the scene... and one of them snatched

this poor Cicada right off the petal of the lily...

Munch, munch, munch...  and cicada saga came to an end!

"The Angel"... Has Arrived!

This past week, my complimentary copy of Art Doll Quarterly

arrived... the Fall 2013 issue. And there on page 67 

is the "Angel of His Presence" based upon the text from Isaiah 63:9

"In all their affliction He was afflicted,
And the angel of His presence saved them;
In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them,
And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old."

Thank you, thank you... to the staff at ADQ, for including

my Santos in the challenge selection!

That's One Big Honking Wasp!

He (she in all probability) goes by many names...

We know him as the "Cicada Killer Wasp"

Just barely under two inches in length, and as big around

as my pinky finger... He/she looks quite menacing.

They burrow in our yard and are quite prolific this time of the year.

Being burrowers... their favorite snack would be Cicada larvae;

or as is the case here: an adult Cicada (being carried off like carion).

Alas... poor Cicada, I knew him well!

Art Dolls... Or a Botanical Blog?

I have to chuckle a little... as I review the past months 

of our blog here at Woodstown Whimsies;

 it looks more like a gardener's journal than an art doll enthusiast!  

And so... keeping true to form: Yet another garden post!

I planted (actually "stuck") these caladium bulbs in this spot 
back in late spring... with nothing to show for the effort; 
until we returned from Vermont last week!  In a word:  Wow!

The Cicada's Serenade & the Swallowtail's Flight

During these long, hot summer nights as I get my three mile walk in... 

I am serenaded around sunset by the annual appearance of our Cicada.

I found this "left-over" skin just outside our doorstep this afternoon 

clinging to a blade of fountain grass, in the hot (98ºF) summer sun.

In contrast... thirty yards away on a butterfly bush, this swallowtail 

quietly sips on some nectar in the sunshine. Silence is her song.

Worth Repeating...

There are some sentiments and verses just worth repeating...

This is one of them!

I took the pic of Em and Chad's barn window, up in Vermont

while we were there this past week.