So we were out on the weekend (East Gwillimbury area) and my son managed to find a (dead) preying mantis! He has been hunting them all summer, but managed to find one that must have been hit by the frost a few nights ago. While we aren't truly north, it does seem that the mantis population is moving north in Ontario. Generally speaking, they lay their eggs in late summer early fall and the eggs need to survive the winter. This is the field where he found it: Good eye, eh? They are certainly a cool bug when you can find them. If you want more information on them click here! That's it for this post. Please feel free to share any cool bug finds you have made as we head into fall!
One of the things my son can't wait for each summer is the return of the monarchs. His bug net typically stays in my car all summer so we're ready for a bug hunt at any time. This brings us to milk weed. When we see it growing he loves opening the pods at a park, or field, and throwing it so the seeds can fly! This is best done towards the end of summer/early fall. This will give them the period of stratification (exposure to cold, moist conditions) they need to encourage spring germination and ensure a good display of flowers the following summer. Monarchs themselves make quite a trip, migrating from Mexico through North America every year. My son asked me where they originated, and I had to google that one... Turns out that one thought that monarchs were originally tropical butterflies that underwent range expansion. Scientists are not sure how long the monarch’s spectacular annual migration to Mexico has been occurring; it may be as old as 10,000 years (when the glacier