[PotD] Grevillea and the Praying Mantis.

[moonvoice]

Sometimes I worry I'm going to run out of ideas for photos,
which is funny because you know,
it's not even the end of January yet.
But I can always rely on the trusty garden
to give me something to look at.


Like this baby praying mantis with his arms all tucked in tight.





Or this mature grevillea blossom.

Comments

[feralkiss]

Ooh wow the colours

[moonvoice]

I couldn't believe the camouflage on that little praying mantis. He had the green of the foliage and then red striping to match the branches. It was amazing. That plus the cream-peach of the grevillea blossom was just... a really lovely find in the garden.

[cmcmck]

The Devil's coach horse! :o)

[moonvoice]

I haven't heard that description for *such* a long time. Thank you for reminding me of it!

[alias_sqbr]

Swirly!

*this has been your deep artistic comment of the day*

[moonvoice]

Hee, I love how swirly grevillea are.

[foxboi]

Whoa, these photos have some gorgeous light and colours!
<3!

[moonvoice]

Thank you! :D

[calissa]

The more I see of your grevillea the more its beauty is apparent. I've never seen a praying mantis in quite those shades either.

[moonvoice]

That one in particular is lovely. If you ever want a really hardy grevillea, it's the moonlight cultivar - a dense shrubbing form that grows to about 1.5 metres in height (so far), blossoms almost all year round, and has lovely dark green foliage that isn't so common in Australian natives. That has been a gem, and if I see it again in nurseries, I will get some more. It's almost bombproof. :) I'm sure there are weak individuals, but overall, I am very happy with this cultivar. Also attracts a lot of insects!

[calissa]

Makes me wish my backyard was bigger so that I had the space for one. (I really must get to that garden post soon)

Also attracts a lot of insects! I can see that! And pretty ones, too.

[silverjackal]

Are those pollen balls tucked in the curling fronts at the apex of the mature flower? The image is *stunning* -- it reminds me of a starfish. Thank you for sharing these. :)

[moonvoice]

Are those pollen balls tucked in the curling fronts at the apex of the mature flower?

Yes! Grevillea are very striking flowers. As they mature, the pollen balls spring out on long stalks (i.e. the base of the photo). They blossoms can also be very large. These blossoms are about 10cm long, but they can be much longer. Or, likewise, we have prostate groundcover forms with tiny little blossoms. They're all very nectar rich, providing an abundance of food for possums, birds, insects and other mammals.

Plus the colours on this one are amazing. That lovely peach-cream-pink-pale-green.

I wish other things were flowering in the garden right now, but aside from a single orange grevillea blossom on another plant, summer is like the worst time of year here (and in the bushland, as well).

[ariestess]

Ooooers... Both are so pretty!

[moonvoice]

Thank you! :D

[fadedwings]

So gorgeous!

[moonvoice]

Thanks! :D

[hrafn]

OMG baby mantis! :D That's just darling.