Praying Mantis

They are so still and seemingly unbothered by a cameral which is literally in their face, that one would think that it's clever camouflage and devotional posture means it is a slow moving peaceful creature. But you would be wrong. Mantids can jump long distances with great accuracy, they prefer their meal to be still moving and they can often be cannibals. The female is even likely to bite off the head of her partner during their three hour mating session. Risky sex indeed!

OilMan discovered this one on the lavender under our bedroom window. He has been hand watering the parts of the garden that are right next to the house since the valves that supply the leaky pipe have been turned off. The good news is that everything is drying up indicating that we (forgive me OilMan and Dan for using the royal 'we') have indeed found the main source. It seems that something in a large irrigation system like ours is always leaking, but usually not as much as this. 

If I were more mechanically inclined I think I would be tempted to try to reinvent the whole concept of garden irrigation. It has to be flexible, but strong so that it can run over uneven ground but not be chewed on by rodents. The fittings, which are notoriously difficult to punch through the lines should have pressure gauges on them so that one is not rewarded for the effort by blowing and releasing a geyser of water onto the concrete path or through an open window. The valves should be either way less ugly or way easier to conceal. If the lines are likely to freeze then they need to be buried but not hidden. I imagine my right brained ideas are totally incompatible with the left brained reality.

I don't know anyone who hasn't had major leaks and minor headaches with their irrigation and  it seems that there should be a better way...