Ōtautahi / Christchurch Daily Photo

I spotted this praying mantis in my garden today as it was on my bright yellow sunflower. Of course by the time I’d come back with my camera it had move away to a nearby plant and even focusing with the camera was a mission. I’m not sure exactly what it’s devouring, possibly a bee or a fly? I captured some video of it too and it’s pretty compelling viewing!

And this wee chap is a welcome swallow. I had made decided at the beginning of summer to get a shot of them flying. Well, that’s proving to be somewhat difficult as I just don’t have the right gear I think. If you have seen them flying you’ll know why they are so hard to photograph as they dart about very quickly. I’ve learned though that they seem to need to rest quite a long time and if they are disturbed they’ll keep going back to the same fence post or perch. I also discovered that this one was happy for me to stay about 20 feet away.