Shagrat the 1st, so named after an orc of like coloring from Lord of the Rings, the last of this year's mantises, was let go today, and neither presidential candidate was present -- however, there was a vampire squirrel nearby, and it being the daytime, it was in a reasonable frame of mind, chirping loudly on the fence whilst consuming a nut -- and this served as well as anything as a commencement speech. The speech was about storing nuts and finding them later, and mantises don't do that, but the speech was well received nonetheless.
Shagrat is graduating with a PhD in Mantis Mathematics from the FreePhD program at Backyard University, and looks forward to a pursuing a career in crispy crunchy crickets, and has no immediate plans to become a vegetarian, (though it has been under consideration).
Here is a picture backstage of Shagrat on my arm, just prior to the ceremony.
Things got a little out of control at backyard university this year, and these monster cosmos and other assorted flora served as graduation wildflowers.
