I discovered the one problem with our temporary chicken pasture fencing --- it hinders box turtle migration.  I suspect this turtle was heading over to eat the everbearing raspberries that I missed and let fall to the ground.  He seemed less than pleased that his path was blocked --- hopefully he'll discover the unfenced berry patch in the back yard.

Meanwhile, a praying mantis was hunting at the salt lick out front.  Previously, we'd seen butterfly wings in spots where we poured excess urine and I hypothesized that one of this year's bumper crop of mantises was enjoying the easy pickings.  I was right!  As I watched, the mantis eased her way forward, starting four inches from an unsuspecting skipper and ending up a mere inch distant.  Then she pounced --- butterfly dinner!

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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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