Posts Tagged: African blue basil

European Wool Carder Bees: 'The End Is Near'

It's almost the end of the season for the European wool carder bee, Anthidium manicatum. A few still hang around the foxgloves, the catmint and the...

A male European wool carder bee, Anthidium manicatum, rests on an African blue basil leaf in the early morning. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male European wool carder bee, Anthidium manicatum, rests on an African blue basil leaf in the early morning. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Find the European wool carder bee! It's difficult to see as it rests on an African blue basil bloom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Find the European wool carder bee! It's difficult to see as it rests on an African blue basil bloom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A European wool carder bee, a black and yellow streak, heads for a foxglove. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A European wool carder bee, a black and yellow streak, heads for a foxglove. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A European wool carder bee foraging in a foxglove blossom. Sometimes they sleep inside. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A European wool carder bee foraging in a foxglove blossom. Sometimes they sleep inside. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

How to Find a Praying Mantis in the Wild

If you're trying to find a praying mantis in the wild, go where the food source is. Sounds pretty easy, right? But oh, they're camouflaged. They lie...

A praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, hides beneath an African blue basil leaf in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, hides beneath an African blue basil leaf in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, hanging out in the African blue basil leaf, scouts for bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, hanging out in the African blue basil leaf, scouts for bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Green Legs and Bam!

Have you ever seen a green-legged praying mantis on a green leaf? Praying mantis expert Lohitashwa "Lohit" Garikipati, identified this...

Green legs of this male praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, are camouflaged in this patch of African blue basil. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Green legs of this male praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, are camouflaged in this patch of African blue basil. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Find the Praying Mantis in the African Blue Basil

Honey bees absolutely love African blue basil. If there ever were a "bee magnet," this plant is it.  We first learned of African blue...

In this image, you can see two bees on the African blue basil. But can you find the praying mantis? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

In this image, you can see two bees on the African blue basil. But can you find the praying mantis? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Oh, there you are, praying mantis! Enjoying a little sunshine, hmm? This one is a male subadult male Stagmomantis limbata, as identified by mantis expert Lohit Garikipati, a UC Davis alumnus now studying for his master's degree at Towson (Maryland) University. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Oh, there you are, praying mantis! Enjoying a little sunshine, hmm? This one is a male subadult male Stagmomantis limbata, as identified by mantis expert Lohit Garikipati, a UC Davis alumnus now studying for his master's degree at Towson (Maryland) University. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Find the Praying Mantis! (Hint, She's Big!)

Find the praying mantis. That's not too difficult, considering this Stagmomantis limbata is gravid (pregnant) and about ready to deposit her ootheca...

Find the praying mantis! This is a female gravid Stagmomantis limbata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Find the praying mantis! This is a female gravid Stagmomantis limbata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

In this 2018 image, a praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, deposits her egg case in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

In this 2018 image, a praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, deposits her egg case in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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