Praying Mantis

It's been many years since I've seen a praying mantis.  Here's one I found today among the cucumbers and zinnias.

Blackberries

Our small backyard blackberry patch is producing a large crop this year. We're growing the thornless 'Triple Crown' variety. The seeds are large in the berries, so I'll probably strain them out when making jam. 

Herb Planter

I'm growing my herbs in a planter on our patio near the kitchen door.  This year, the planter consists of basil, bay laurel, oregano, chives, rosemary, flat-leaf parsley and orange thyme, and a strawberry plant with runners flowing down the left side. The herbs get lots of sun most of the day and have done well this year, since my new planter has a depth of about 7" and the soil stays moist better than the shallow one I had last year.  All of the varieties of herbs are pretty common, except the basil which is a bush variety that I started under lights a few weeks before planting outside.  It's called Finissimo Verde A Palla, bushy mounds of tiny basil leaves, forming a globe shape that makes it look pruned.  

The planter on the ground to the right of the herbs is growing spearmint.  

The parsley and thyme are out of sight at the back of the planter.