‘Is that a little stick insect?’ asked my daughter. I eventually saw this tiny – no more than 1 cm in length – critter on the mop handle on the patio. I explained that, as a kid, we had stick insects as ‘pets’.

Anyhoo, I grabbed the camera and thought I would get a few snaps before it scuttled off. Looking at the photos, it was clear that this miniscule insect was, in fact, a baby Praying Mantis. Never seen one so small. Saw a very large one a week or so back, but down in the park. Even so, I wondered if ‘mama’ would turn up. But she didn’t.