Various Districts, Beijing, China

I haven’t seen a whole lot of wildlife since arriving in Beijing a few months ago. I’ve seen some birds, but really have not been able to get a good photo of them. It really is odd being in a land with no squirrels! Neighbors say hedgehogs live in the bushes in our compound, but I haven’t seen one yet. Still, we all have seen some pretty extraordinary bugs: spiders as a big as a maple leafs and oddly charismatic praying mantises. Click any photo for a larger view.