The New Hotness

An inch-long Praying Mantis stood guard on a carton delivered to the front door:

We hope to see many more of its kind.

Two views of a one-turn snail found on a lettuce leaf from the garden:

Mary has developed a Zero-Tolerance Policy for snails & slugs, so this one must start over again from the bottom of the food chain.

With sparrows excluded, the House Wrens eventually began setting up their second nest of the season, with the male proclaiming both he and his lady’s chosen nest are the best in the land:

Wrens are on our Most Favored Critter list!

Previous encounters with their ancestors and relatives:

• Mantis
• Snails
• Wrens