Sunday, July 3, 2016

First frost of the year

Yesterday it dipped to 0, this morning it was -1, Brrrr a bit crispy for old gnomes. Luckily we were well warned so both the yen ben lemon and the clementine mandarin both slept under a nice cloth net. So far they look as though they have survived unscathed.


Frost fringing the lettuce
Tenderstem broccoli head lightly frosted

Pizza thyme with an edge
The cold start makes for for wonderful clear sunny days and the bees were doing their duty on the broad bean flowers

Bee forcing it's way into the broad bean flower, they are tightly closed

Posing praying mantis
This is a South African mantis, they are killing off the native New Zealand variety. The native mantis has a much wider neck, is always green in colour and has a distinctive large blue spot inside the front legs. The casings of eggs are also slightly different, the South African casing has quite pointy ends whereas the New Zealand ones are neater and rounder. The idea is to kill off the intruders eggs when you come across them.

This is the pointy ended egg casing the South African praying mantis hides under things, squash them when you find one

Invasive South African egg case, note the pointy ends, the NZ one is rounded

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