One of our favorite plants in the garden is the lovely Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum sp.). CD asked me to make a few portrait shots the other day, and the light and breeze conditions 
were perfect for it yesterday evening. As I was focusing in on some of the flowers, I noticed what I believe was a very young katydid. So I said to myself, “Self, where there’s one there may well be another,” and upon further searching, my hunch turned out to be right. 
They are only about a centimeter long, and I consider myself quite lucky to have made their brief acquaintance. I plan to have another look today to see if I can find them again!
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krikitarts 
I see there’s a relationship between this plant (which I didn’t know) and the lily of the valley that I grew up with. This one’s a beauty, and its little friend is cute. The blue and green of the nymph are almost electric — maybe they’re the Ken Keseys of the insect world. (It put me in mind of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test).
I found something especially interesting when I was reading about the name of the plant. On one site, I read this: “The magic drawings of the hexagram and the pentagram were known as seals, in keeping with the idea that a person “stamps himself” with these signs in order to protect himself from harmful spirits.” I’ve mentioned here and there our habit of “stamping” white horses when I was a kid. If we saw a white horse, we’d lick our thumb, swipe it across the opposite palm, and then make a fist and “stamp” it. We thought of it as a gesture for luck, but it seems its roots make be deeper than I realized.
Thanks, Linda. I tried to send you a suitable reply a few days ago, but it seems that, amid the chess game of sorting-moving stuff, I neglected to send it before shutting down the computer for the night. Yes, I have been especially fond of lilies of the valley and their unique fragrance for as long as I can remember. There is a perfume, made by Coty, called Muguet de Bois, which comes uncannily close to the original scent. If someone in a crowded room is wearing this, my nose will lift me off the floor and waft me unerringly toward the source. It can be embarassing, but it is so.
Beautiful shots, Gary…love the detail of the tiny creature.
Must agree, Scott, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a small one. What a lucky find!
Hope all goes well with your home move, Gary! A :)
So do I, man! So many details–the worst part, by far, is the chess game of red tape I have to go through to take my cat with me!
LIke Linda, this brought the Lily-of-the-Valley to my mind. And the Katydid is nice to see as I don’t think we have any here. It’s quite sweet, isn’t it?
I must agree, Val. I’ve been seeing more new katydid hatchlings since I made that image, but most of them are rather deep in the Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia) and are very shy, so it’s really a challenge to try to get intimately close for decent portrait work–and just now, unfortunately, I don’t have the time to devote to the effort.
It’s too long since I’ve been here! These are just beautiful – a favorite flower, and flower family.
It’s good to see you back! It’s a favorite of ours as well, and our garden would be poorer without it.
Gorgeous! I really love these insect close-ups, what amazing creatures they are..and I’m also very impressed with your non-eaten-to-death Solomons Seal! Mine looked so lovely at the beginning but have been nibbled to shreds :(
The leaves on ours are still pretty intact, but the berries are disappearing, of course. As for the tiny katydid, I really need to get out and look for more of them!