While I know these creatures are not insects, they are one of my favorite beneficial creatures in the garden. Over the winter months, I end up missing the crooning of these little guys. But quickly, as spring wakes the sleeping plants, animals and insects, we are back to our froggy musicians once again.

I’ve found that with the greenhouse, we have a few little green friends that don’t get tired during the winter months. In fact, it has been a pleasure to hear them vocalize their presence, when we are usually yearning to hear their voices. They have kept the bad creatures at bay…and have enjoyed awaiting the offspring of the Praying Mantids from their egg casing. It’s almost as if they know what will happen if the Mantids are allowed to mature. There really is a lot to be said about instinct and how it plays a roll in creature’s every day behavior.

This past week, I was outside transplanting tomatoes, when I noticed a couple of trays had filled with water, from our downpours of rain. I began dumping the water out to put the trays up for next season’s planting, when I noticed batches of spotted jelly that were stuck to the bottoms. That’s right, I now have tad poles in my trays, so I’ll need to keep them full of water and hope that they will eat the mosquito larva that inhabit the same trays.

As for the greenhouse, it is crawling with frogs. They are in every corner, crack, crevice and tray left on my shelves. But I will give them this, I can safely place my hand under the shelves without fear of finding some vicious biting bug. They are a bit behind on the aphids, but other pests are under control. Frogs are only one variety of amphibians that really should be taken seriously. Newts and Salamanders are also beneficial for your yard and garden, though they are usually in more moist areas.

Some folks don’t like frogs, but I have to say, I welcome them with an open greenhouse. You may notice a dwindling affect on the frogs in your area. This is due to the fact that they are an indicator species, which means they are the first to show signs of decline due to contamination, disease or any other form of environmental change including, but not limited to, loss of ponds and wetlands. Being their skin is permeable, changes in the environment affect them at a staggeringly high rate of speed. It’s really time to go GREEN and I mean environmentally as well as Frogly. Welcome those little guys in your yard and stop using petro-chemical fertilizers and toxic weed killers and bug sprays. I would seriously suggest that note be taken on trying to protect your little green friends. It could be you that dwindles next.

The below pictures were taken today (all but the Dahlia) in my greenhouse, in about 10 minutes.

Quite an unexpected surprise…

Saturday AM, I went out into the greenhouse and noticed the egg casing my son found a couple months back. At first, we weren’t sure what it was, but after looking at images online, we found it was a praying mantis egg casing. So we put it in the greenhouse to see if it might hatch.

I’ve been trying to read up on them and learn how, when, where etc…that they hatch. I wasn’t even sure if the egg casing was spent or not. So it was kind of strange to see a bit of sawdust like stuff hanging from it on Saturday AM. After noticing the stuff hanging from it, I picked it up and examined it, but didn’t see anything else different. I looked around, but didn’t see anything near by so I just placed it a bit closer to the isle of the greenhouse and went about doing what I needed to do. That afternoon, I went back in the greenhouse and took a quick glance at the egg casing…there were critters all over it. But it still didn’t look like anything had come out yet. There were about 10 little tiny mantids crawling around.

This afternoon, I went in the greenhouse to package up some tomato plants to ship out to a couple of friends. I turned around and…HOLY COW…there was yet a third hatching from this egg casing. Those little guys were EVERYWHERE! Sending my son into the house to get a mason jar, I figured I would clip the aphid covered grass that is growing under my counter and cut it into small pieces, just to make sure they have food and won’t eat each other. I’m working on where to put them now…cause I’m sure there is another hatching coming.

After this experience, I’ve learned that they don’t always hatch all at once. They like it WARM…and when the sun came out, each time, they have had a few hatch out. From what I understand, they will hatch 100-400 babies, so I may have many more coming.