![Good BUGS](https://cdn.magzter.com/1424151990/1697195229/articles/EXE_LPqaj1697543046620/GOOD-BUGS.jpg)
1. Praying mantis
Mantids can camouflage themselves so well in surrounding vegetation that you’ll fail to notice them. With their compound eyes on a large head that can rotate 180 ,̊ they can however see very well (anything from 2 – 15m) and will use their powerful legs to catch prey with lightning speed, just like an unsuspecting fruit fly. They use their mandibles to eat their prey alive and are also cannibalistic, eating each other if not mating. Birds, bats, spiders, snakes and frogs make a meal of these interesting insects named for their folded forelegs held closed together as if in prayer.
Diet: Flies, beetles, moths, crickets and aphids.
2. Rain spider
It takes a tough cookie not to scream in fright when a rain spider drops from a lush creeper at an open window onto a bed. It is a fearsome-looking, but harmless creature in brown or grey with a leg span of up to 100mm. The female keeps her eggs in a sac made from leaves bound with silk and will guard them protectively until the spiderlings hatch.
It is only when extremely provocated that she might bite a gardener – which is not at all poisonous and feels like a bee sting. Rain spiders are preyed on by birds and pompilid wasps.
Denne historien er fra November 2023 -utgaven av The Gardener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra November 2023 -utgaven av The Gardener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![FIRE AND Feathers!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8989/1730759/V_4nKhj9U1719831969238/FIRE-AND-FEATHERS.jpg)
FIRE AND Feathers!
On a dreary winter's day, a screen of fiery and feathery leaves puts up a fight against dullness!
![GET THE ladies in!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8989/1730759/0EvHGz4Bv1719831828504/GET-THE-LADIES-IN.jpg)
GET THE ladies in!
At this time of year, early-flowering shrubs vie with each other to get the most attention. We say: Trust those with female names for frills and butterflies. They go the extra mile to flower their hearts out.
![Vegetable Soups and dumplings](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8989/1730759/5CwRXGYeV1719831075858/VEGETABLE-SOUPS-AND-DUMPLINGS.jpg)
Vegetable Soups and dumplings
Vegetables make the most delicious soups and classic combinations are always a winner.
![Yummy sweet potatoes for your good health](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8989/1730759/Kw_7QbVuK1719830913668/YUMMY-SWEET-POTATOES-FOR-YOUR-GOOD-HEALTH.jpg)
Yummy sweet potatoes for your good health
Boiled, baked or braaied, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are a delicious and healthy winter comfort food. Just a dollop of butter, a little seasoning and you are good to go.
![Pretty and functional](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8989/1730759/AUrf3kjlx1719830524042/PRETTY-AND-FUNCTIONAL.jpg)
Pretty and functional
If cooking is your main thing, you would probably be more interested in the culinary value of the three herbs and some of their varieties we are describing.
![Dried Seedheads & Pods](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8989/1730759/HKwjjWpjd1719830254645/DRIED-SEEDHEADS-PODS.jpg)
Dried Seedheads & Pods
Autumn and winter are the best times to see what flowers produce the best seedheads that can be left on the plants to feed the birds and bugs and for harvesting for dried arrangements.
![SO MANY FACES and so many choices...](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8989/1730759/HpldBpxN-1719828541500/SO-MANY-FACES-AND-SO-MANY-CHOICES.jpg)
SO MANY FACES and so many choices...
Whoever associated a Cotyledon orbiculata (pig's ear) with the ear of a pig obviously did not know about all the varieties and cultivars this species in the genus Cotyledon has.
![COLOURFUL Cold Weather WINNERS!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8989/1730759/o3bAnUq_i1719828067410/COLOURFUL-COLD-WEATHER-WINNERS.jpg)
COLOURFUL Cold Weather WINNERS!
If it comes to a vote, these dependable shrubs will be the top candidates for prime performance in winter and in other seasons...
![What makes a garden sustainable?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8989/1730759/GIjoi6Jfy1719827453297/WHAT-MAKES-A-GARDEN-SUSTAINABLE.jpg)
What makes a garden sustainable?
It is interesting to note that the United Nations defines sustainable development as: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
![Nurturing NATURE-The Story of Kraal Garden's Transformation](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8989/1730759/_piilJ2Rw1719826544534/NURTURING-NATURETHE-STORY-OF-KRAAL-GARDENS-TRANSFORMATION.jpg)
Nurturing NATURE-The Story of Kraal Garden's Transformation
Nestled within Prince Albert's rustic embrace lies a gem that is a testament to the transformative power of human vision and nature's bounty.