Flowers are often the focus when we think about gardens, and when we photograph them too. Leaves, seeds, grasses and bark, although beautiful, interesting and photogenic, are neglected by comparison. Continue reading “The beauty of leaves”
I spotted this mantis on an Arum lily plant only by chance. I had been photographing small beetles that were pollinating the flower when I glanced down and saw this interesting little creature. Usually, we only see the green African Mantis around, so it was special to see this small mantis, commonly called a leaf mantis or a ghost mantis (Phyllocrania paradoxa). Continue reading “Getting acquainted with a leaf mantis”
Going with the flow of nature is such a natural choice when it comes to gardening. Yet many of us were brought up in a tradition where gardens are controlled and orderly spaces. Continue reading “Live and let live gardening”
Many species of fly are pollinators, a role for which they receive little common recognition. Perhaps also not so well-known is that some species of flies indulge in bubble-blowing. Continue reading “Flies as pollinators and bubble-blowers”
