Mantid

A couple of weeks ago, one of my cats (Tiki), brought a praying mantis inside to play with. Fortunately, I noticed before any real harm came to the mantis, and was able to return him to the outdoors.

I believe the one pictured here is male, but that's only based on a childhood memory I have of reading that they were all green when young (nymphs), and as they matured, only the males would turn brown. However, since there are many species and therefore many colors of mantids, I'm not sure how accurate that bit of information is.

This visitor reminded me of my fondness for mantids. It reminded me about how excited I was to find them when I was young. I think they appealed to me mainly because they are relatively large and can move their heads (one of the few insects that can) so there is a connection as they follow your movement with their heads and eyes. Sometimes, I trapped them and provided houseflies so I could observe them prey on live insects. The speed at which they grab their victims and eat them is fascinating to watch. I also remember enjoying how they mimic leaves in a breeze as they sway back and forth on a branch.

After admiring this one, I carried it outside to one of my plants, and it kept flying onto me while I was trying to photograph it, but with some coaxing, it sat still enough for me to grab a couple of shots.