Basking

This skink was lazing in the sunshine in a plastic flower pot. What appears to be a speech bubble is actually an apple blossom petal, which I couldn’t remove without spooking the lizard.

Praying Mantis: At least three ootheca have hatched, but I can’t find many nymphs. As they are very small I could just be missing them. The other day, as a storm was about to hit I took one into the greenhouse. I instantly regretted it when it sprang away from the grape leaf I had put it on, and vanished in a rough patch. Today I looked in the general vicinity and there it was on a strawberry leaf. (See extra shot). I was delighted to discover in the blown-up photo the litter at its feet was a leg and two wings of a tiny fly. Not much of a meal, but enough to keep it going.