The Bayou Chorus

  The weather has been a tad cooler for the past few nights making it nice to linger outside a bit longer and to open the windows to air out the house.  Unless you do either of these things, you can be blissfully unaware of what happens on the Bayou at night.  Open that window, however, and the "peace and quiet" of being this far away from neighbors becomes nothing but a myth.  The Bayou is a noisy place!  Most folks think that the variety of buzzing, clicking and chirping noises are made strictly by crickets but that is not the case.  We have our share of crickets, for sure, but a lot of those sounds are made by cicadas and katydids.  They all join in with the symphony of frogs, owls, alligators and coyotes.  The cacophony can be nigh on deafening.

  It was a katydid that caught my eye this morning.  I had recently snipped back the roses on the arbor and obviously took the hiding place of one, fat katydid. The critter was not truly happy at being homeless and was moping around hunting for a new dwelling.  Katydids use camouflage as one of their main defense tactics so this poor creature knew it had better find a new dwelling right quickly.  In fact, a katydid on the ground is not in its best interest as they are slow and rather clumsy.  In the trees, they are hard to see, have plenty of food (leaves) and are much safer.   They are agile fliers so my little friend had best take flight and find a new home!

  Katydids are nocturnal and prefer to stay out of sight as much as possible.  The only evidence you may see is a few holes in the leaves of your favorite tree.  This does not harm the tree so my advice is don't try to rid the place of the katydids...just enjoy their nightly serenade.

A Battle For Life

  Sometimes life on the Bayou is not easy.  The critters here are in a constant battle for survival and it truly is the fittest that wins.  The stronger, braver and more cunning a critter is, the more it will get to eat.  It is evident that the weak will not survive long and if they do, it will be a struggle.

  This morning, I headed out the back door to do a bit of yard work.  Armed with a weed-trimmer, mower and snips, I was ready to tackle this rain-forest we used to call a yard.  Ducking under the peach tree, I plugged the trimmer cord into the outlet only to find that I had a large critter crawling up my arm.  Silly mantis!  I am not prey!  Gingerly, I set him on the workbench so I could continue my chores.  It did not take long before I realized that the chores would be postponed for a bit.  I had inadvertently set the praying mantis on the same board as a katydid.  The battle for life ensued and things did not bode well for the katydid.  A praying mantis is a formidable predator with a voracious appetite and the katydid looked mighty fine as a meal.  

  It became apparent that the katydid immediately realized that it was in extreme danger even though the two critters were not too much different in size.  Instead of fleeing, however, the katydid froze.  Normally, this defense would be somewhat effective if the katydid was on a plant and its natural camouflage could hide it but in the openness of the workbench, freezing just gave the mantis more of an opportunity to stalk the katydid.  At first, the mantis swayed back and forth in a gentle motion.  Then, it eased forward a bit.  The katydid stayed motionless.  Again, the mantis eased forward but slipped off the edge of the board to become almost hidden from view.  The mantis was sneaking up on the katydid!!!  Closer, closer...ever closer but so very slowly did the mantis creep. 

  Then, up on top of the board again and face to face with the katydid!  The mantis was about to dine upon the katydid!  As the mantis made its final lunge at the katydid, everything changed.  The katydid did a flying leap off of the workbench and into the grass below!  At first the mantis seemed confused that it did not have the other critter in a death grip!  However, it did not take long before the mantis spied the katydid just a few feet below and it, too, jumped off of the bench to the ground.  The chase was still on but this time, the katydid was more active about escaping.  The freeze method had not worked and almost made the katydid lose its life so now it was scrambling toward cover.

  This time, the praying mantis did not win.  The katydid escaped into the marigolds and the praying mantis slowly eased its way under the fig leaves for a wren family had made its way to the garden to hunt for breakfast.  Either of the insects would have been a prime target for the wrens.  Me?  I was late getting started with that yard work and had to hustle!  Too much time was spent dawdling as I watched the struggle for life.  Time to work! The battle between critters would just have to take place without me!

Don't Bother Me! I Am Busy!

  At dawn, I was on a scaffolding with paintbrush in hand.  The day starts early when you want to beat the heat.  Painting the southeast side of the house makes for a hot time starting about 11 am.  That, and the fact that I am trying to beat the rain, has me hurrying my job.  Still, I was not too rushed that I could not enjoy a bit of nature.  My perch on the scaffolding has provided me with the perfect viewpoint of all around me..except for that directly below me.  That, my friends, is exactly where I found the most interesting bit of wildlife.

  Earlier, I noticed a rather large, perfectly carved hole in the ground by the front door.  This hole was about an inch in diameter and drilled at a 45 degree angle.  I did not ponder the hole and what made it as I had work to do.  Then, I found another hole as precise as the first.  This one was nearer the backdoor.  OK, two holes made me wonder.  While I painted, I pondered.  That is the beauty of painting!  You can act busy while merely daydreaming.  The holes had to be made by a wasp but I was just not sure which one.  It had to be a quite large wasp at that! Once I finished the wall I was painting, Son came to help move the unwieldy scaffolding.  He was unlocking the wheels when he spied our interest for the day.  Work quit for a good ten minutes as we observed a rather large, golden bee struggling to lift an even larger katydid. We found our hole digger!

  The wasp was a Great Golden Digger Wasp!  The female of the species digs many tunnels in which to lay her eggs.  Each tunnel will be stocked with a paralyzed insect of the grasshopper family.  A single egg is deposited on the grasshopper and then the tunnel is sealed.  When the egg hatches, the larva feasts upon the insect as it develops into an adult wasp.  The katydid that the Great Golden Digger Wasp was trying to carry was meant as food for her little one.  

  The female wasp is so programmed to the process of laying eggs that she does little else.  She digs many holes, captures grasshoppers (and katydids!), inspects her tunnel, pulls the insect inside, lays the egg, covers the tunnel and goes hunting again.  Studies have shown that if the wasp is interrupted during her mission, she will go back to the previous step and start again.  For example, after she catches an insect, she drops it just outside the tunnel entrance and goes inside to inspect the condition of the tunnel. If it suits her, she returns to pull the grasshopper inside by its antennae.  If the insect is moved while she is inside the tunnel, she returns it to its original position and goes back to inspect the tunnel again.  This will be repeated as often as the bug is moved.  Also, being a creature of habit, if the grasshopper has lost its antennae, she discards it and hunts another.  She does not grasp ahold to a leg or wing to pull it into the tunnel.  Only the antennae will do!

 The Great Golden Digger Wasp looks intimidating due to its size.  It is HUGE!  However, this wasp is gentle and non aggressive.  She is a good pollinator for the garden and does not harm any beneficial insects as she is only hunting grasshoppers.  As with any wasp, she can sting but only does so if harassed to the point that she has no choice.  It is perfectly safe to be in close proximity of these wasps unlike most others.  The Great Golden Digger Wasp is welcome in my garden any time!

Bug World!

I just know Fall is on its way..even the bugs are getting in the spirit of things! Today's walk turned up one of the prettiest bugs that I have seen in a while. A beautiful orange and black Banded Netwing Beetle flew past me and landed on a dead oak leaf on the ground. Its colors reminded me of Halloween! At first glance, it was difficult to distinguish the bug from the leaf since the colors so closely matched. The beetle had probably chosen its landing spot as to be so well camouflaged. This beetle was gorgeous as far as bugs go so I watched it closely for a few minutes and then let it go on its merry way. Banded Netwings are not a "problem" bug for gardeners. Actually in some ways they might even be considered a beneficial critter to have around the yard. They feed upon the juices of decaying plants and the larvae are reputed to eat soft eat soft-bodied insects and slugs. Wait a minute! They eat slugs?? I now have a new favorite bug! This one inch long bug with its elaborate wings can reside in my garden for as long as it wants. It can surely have its fill of slugs!

Another insect caught my eye today. This time it was not nearly as colorful and is perhaps considered a bit more of a garden pest than the Netwing. When I saw where this Katydid was perched, I had to laugh to myself. If only it realized how easily it could have become fish bait, I do not think it would have positioned itself on my rod and reel. This one too was allowed a reprieve from being squished, although I am not too sure the Mockingbird would have been as lenient. The Katydid earned its freedom simply because it sings to me at night. I love to hear its shrill call mixed in with that of the frogs and owls. My nightly serenade continues into the wee hours of the morning.