In my last blog, I talked about the fact that one difference between gardening in Michigan and gardening in California is the length of the growing season! While Californians are harvesting beautiful lettuces and such, Michiganders are shoveling that last 18 inches of snow that just fell!

Another difference in these two gardening areas is: SOIL. You know…Dirt!! That stuff that gets under your fingernails and into the knees of your jeans! While Michigan has some of the most beautiful, black, rich loamy soil…California has some of the heaviest clay I've ever seen. BUT, just because you can work the soil much easier in Michigan, doesn't mean California's clay is not good. After taking the “Soils and Fertilizers” class at Solano Community College, we found out that although the density of our clay restricts plant roots somewhat, it is also a very nutrient-rich soil. And, as we also learned from our instructor Ken Williams: the correct answer to every question in that class is: Add Organic Matter! The organic matter helps to break up the compaction of the clay and gives spaces for water and oxygen to get to the roots and also adds more micro organisms which include bacteria, fungus, nematodes, worms and other wonderful plant-loving stuff!

When you get enough organic matter incorporated into the clay soil here, you can grow pretty much ANYTHING! Granted, it takes quite a bit of organic matter to really make a difference, but it is well worth the effort. Mike and I have been adding organic matter every time we plant any new plants. Eventually, we hope that our soil will be teaming with microbes that will help the plants assimilate all those lovely nutrients! To be continued...

Other worldly, alien-like. A triangular head (turns 180 degrees), a pair of large compound eyes (in some cases made up of thousands of miniature eyes) and prominent spikey (serrated) front legs held in a prayer-like position. Photo variations: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3021

Camouflage. Blending themselves into the background (both attack and defense). Ground species tend to be spotted brown, tree species green and leaf-like, some look like grass, even stones. The hay-color in my photo (on Bergenia cordifolia), matches the dry weeds at ground level--that photo blurred). The Flower Mantis (various species) mimics different species of flowers. Common species in U.S.: California mantis (Stagmomantis californica), non-native European mantis, (Mantis religiosa), non-native Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis), native Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina).

Most of the 2400 species are ambush predators, waiting patiently for prey to stray within striking distance and be devoured alive, slowly, often head first. Feeds on insects (flies, crickets, grasshoppers), capable of killing prey 3 times its size (mice, small turtles, even snakes). However, since they do not know the difference between beneficial and non-beneficial insects, in some instances they could do more harm than good (i.e. bees). Lady beetles appear are optional predators in the garden.

Ah, sexual cannibalism. The much larger femme fatale lures a male with her pheromones, he engages in a courtship dance and, if worthy, she allows him to hitch a ride on her back and commence fertilization. She eats him after, even during mating, voraciously chewing off his head or legs. Protein. To create an ootheca (egg mass surrounded by protein for protection--cockroaches create them too). He still functions. Lab observations claim the male seems to thrust more vigorously without his head. Some studies cite sexual cannibalism as a way to increase the success and duration of copulation. In the wild, this occurs less than 30% of the time.

Mantids are visual predators, the only insect (invertebrate) proven to have 3D vision (stereopsis) like humans. Macaques, cats, horses, sheep, rabbits, toads and barn owls also have 3D vision. At Newcastle University's Institute of Neuroscience, scientists have been fitting super-small 3D glasses on mantids, indicating it may help program algorithms that will allow 3D vision for robots. They are attached with beeswax, the mantis placed in front of computer-generated moving images to determine if they can see the object standing out in depth in a similar way to humans and monkeys. They say the Mantids seem unbothered by the glasses, attached with beeswax, both then removed and mantids returned to their room to feed on crickets (Huffington Post, April 2014.) Video link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/28/praying-mantis-tiny-eyeglasses-video_n_5213319.html

Popular as pets, complete praying mantis care starter kits are found on-line, and some garden centers sell nymph eggs. Each species requires specific conditions to thrive, especially temperature and humidity, and should be researched thoroughly. Recommended feeding is an assortment of live insects. They can live as pets for over a year with proper care. If provoked, they will bite, but are not venomous.

A cool site on caring for a pet mantis: http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Care-of-a-Praying-Mantis

Some mantis facts: http://www.jcehrlich.com/blog/5-praying-mantis-facts/

For my daughter's third birthday last year, she chose to have a rainbow-themed party. She's quite the colorful personality, so this made perfect sense. And since her birthday is in the spring, a time when all is beautiful and in bloom, we thought it'd be especially fitting to make seed bombs (or seed balls, for those of a more pacifist persuasion) to give out to our guests. These small balls of clay, soil, and wildflower seeds can be tossed into empty spots of soil that get plenty of sun and some rain/water, and they'll eventually break down and germinate into beautiful flowers for all to enjoy!

This is a fun and pretty easy, though messy, project that the kids can help out with. With the rain on its way this fall, it's great time to make some of your own. Here's how:

Material:
- White Air-Dry Craft Clay- This can be purchased at any local craft store. With one five-pound bucket of clay, we created over a hundred ¾-1-inch diameter balls.
- Compost or Potting Soil- Potting Soil is recommended if young children are helping, since it's sterile and some of the mixture may end up smeared all over a kid.
- Seeds!- I highly recommend getting a blend of native wildflower seeds that are suited to our region. These varieties will grow more easily since they're native to our climate and will better feed/attract pollinators (bees, birds, etc). Ask your local nursery for recommendations.
- Food Coloring in whatever colors you'd like to use
- Water
- A Bucket or other large, easy to clean container- for mixing. You can even use multiple containers, one for each color you're using, if you've got them.
- Old Egg Cartons- to use for drying your seed bombs.

Luca. (photos by Maria Isip-Bautista

Finny.

Da bombs.

Method:
As always, proper set up makes all the difference, especially if you've got little helpers for this project. Be sure to pick a dry, sunny day for making your seed bombs. Wear old work or play clothes that you don't mind getting messy. I recommend doing this project outside with newspaper or old cardboard laid out to cover your work area. Put some soil, seed, and water into easy-to-pour containers, so you're not fumbling around to gather material after you've begun. It's a good idea to pre-portion out your clay according to the number of different color bombs you're making.

First, put the correct ratio of material (5 parts clay: 1 part soil: 1 part seed) into your bucket in a manageable amount. (Mix each color mixture separately.)

Slowly add in water, just enough to make it mixable without becoming watery or runny.

Then, add in enough food coloring to get the shade/depth of color you want. (Remember that these colors will not be as bright once they've dried.)

Mix! (I recommend using your hands for optimal messy fun!)

Portion out palm-sized chunks of the mixture, roll them into balls, and drop them into your waiting egg cartons. (For a smoother finish, go back through and re-roll each ball again once they've dried a bit.)

Allow your seed bombs to dry in the sun for several hours, and then bring them indoors to finish drying over night.
That's it! Find a fun, pretty way to package your seed balls, and don't forget to include instructions on how to use them, if you're going to give them away. As with all seeds, you'll get more plants to germinate if you don't wait too long to plant them (i.e. use them within the year). On the flip-side of our instructions, we also printed a list of the types of wildflower seeds included the bombs.

Hope you enjoy this fun project that can help create a more colorful and beautiful place for us all!

“Looks like a new leaf just sprouted,” my husband said, pointing to the succulent plant sitting atop our patio table. After I unloaded the lunch tray of sandwiches I was carrying, I glanced at what had suddenly caught his interest.

The more I stared, the more I saw — eyes, legs, long thin antennae. “I don't think that is a leaf,” I said. “Looks like a katydid.” For the past couple years my grandson and I have enjoyed playing the game of “Bug Bingo,” and sure enough, I found the exact card I remembered. (See below)

Interesting enough, further research revealed katydids are nocturnal. So I assume the visitor to my yard was both thirsty and hungry as it appeared to be nibbling on the new tender growth of the plant and perhaps had also discovered the aphids nearby.

Also called bush crickets or long-horned grasshoppers, this member of the cricket family Tettigoniidae enjoys a diet of not only leaves but flowers, seeds and bark. Some species prey on insects, while other larger katydids have been known to feed on small vertebrates. Found on every continent except Antarctica, katydids live up to a year. Females are usually larger than males.

After reviewing the UC IPM information on katydids and their love of citrus leaves, I decided “to nip this new leaf in the bud” so to speak because I enjoy the small crop of oranges I pick each year from one of the few trees left in my small yard. For further details on katydids and citrus, visit http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r107300411.html

Also, I highly recommend the game of Bug Bingo. Before my grandson started school he knew the stages of metamorphosis, and we both had such fun learning about the Ichneumon wasp, Cicada and so much more. He's nine now and is quite a pest detector. For more information, check out www.lucybingogames.com