Monday, August 17, 2009
I Have A Little Friend
Sitting at my computer on Saturday morning I noticed something on the underside of the Epiphyllum oxypetalum right outside the door. A praying mantis!! Hurray! I like these insects, they are fun to watch, they eat other insects, and they look like tiny prehistoric creatures! Usually I have lots in the garden but haven't seen any this summer until now. Their egg sacks are most unusual-- they look like a small piece of dirty Styrofoam.
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He's quite handsome, Janet. They are among my favorites -- but did you know they EAT hummingbirds?
ReplyDeleteHi Janet, what a cutie! We had one being chased mid air today by the cardinals. I thought it was a hummingbird and ran out to save it and was surprised to see it was a flying mantid. I love how you captured it upside down! :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances
Lucky you! I've never seen one in my yard.
ReplyDeleteFascinating to watch, aren't they? I like the angle of the photo! :-)
ReplyDeleteCameron
Several years ago I got a call from a customer who I recently sold a cut Christmas tree to. She was upset because there were tiny little mantid all over her wrapped presents. Apparently there was an egg sack on the tree and it had opened in the heat of the house. Now when we see one of the sacks we relocate it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy watching/seeing them too Janet but haven't seen one this year in my garden either. I'm glad you spotted him/her. Where there's one, there's bound to be more?? At least I hope that's how it works!
ReplyDeleteNeat find Janet! I used to play with them when I was a kid. They're great to have around in the garden.
ReplyDeleteHi Diana, I kind of remember that someone wrote about a praying mantis eating a hummer...not nice! I do like these little guys none the less.
ReplyDeleteFrances, hi - I was surprised to see him, hanging upside down on the big leaf. Amazing that cardinals would chase away a praying mantis.
Hi Phillip, I bet you have them...if I do, imagine you do too.
Cameron, hi, yes they are fun to watch.
Hi Les, that would have been a wild Christmas to find bunches of baby praying mantis. Egg sacks are hard to find sometimes.
Hi Kathleen, I was happily surprised to see this one. Some years I have found numerous egg sacks and lots of praying mantis. We found a tiny one once-- about the size of a blade of grass.
Hi Alan, I know my kids liked to play with them when they were little. We found a big one and tried to feed it a spider and it bit my finger!
Janet ! Thank you so much for your kind words on my Sumac passion : )
ReplyDeleteI have never seen one of these creatures .. I'm not sure they live in our zone but something tells me another gardener said they do .. I just have no luck spotting one if they are here .. I was chasing a bumble bee to try and get his picture this morning .. I must have looked a sight first thing in the morning .. no wonder he was flying AWAY from me ? LOL
Isn't that a Praying Mantis? I think they are sooo fascinating and fun to watch! You got a great capture of one!
ReplyDeleteMiss Daisy, yes, Praying Mantis. They are lots of fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteAren't they wonderful? I just saw my first one in person, quite an amazing sight.
ReplyDelete