My Little Girl All Grown Up

You may or may not remember the little praying mantis from my garden earlier this spring. Well, she stuck around, and I'd see her occasionally under a plant or "waiting for me" on the wall by the door when I'd come home at night (or waiting for the moths flying around the "porch" light). She's big now, and beautiful, and I'm so happy she's still here. She's reason number one why I haven't put mukade poison around the house in the garden. I'd hate for her, the awesome spiders or any other innocent insect to be a casualty.

What's extra neat about this picture is that she's sitting on one of those sensitive plants whose leaves close up when touched. You'll notice that none of the leaves are closed.