Before I moved to NC, I had never seen a Praying Mantis before. And since I've been here, I've only seen very small ones. They love to hang out on my hydrangea. :) I don't see them until they get all testy when I accidentally spray them with water. I mean come on Mantis, you're made so I can't see you, do you have to get so mad? :(
Mr. A took this photo of my stepdaughter Desiree and this Mantis when we were dating, but whilst I was in Canada. So this was probably spring of 2005. Desiree was 9. And the Mantis in this pic is so huge it looks like it could pull a knife on her O_O
The information that I get from the Bible of Wikipedia is that they love to eat lizards, frogs and rodents. This one looks like it could eat a small pony O_O. But I bet that's why they like to visit my garden. Tons of anole lizards and skinks. All I knew about them was that the females would eat the male after mating. Yikes!
They're very cool creatures. When Mr. A and I visited the Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, we some some neat exhibits. One of them included this very cool Mantis statue. Mr. A is a bit of a ham...
Do you think Praying Mantises live in John Oates' moustache?
I do. O_O
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17 comments:
By the way they do catch and eat hummingbirds. It is a sad day to see it happen but then it happens like that in Nature. It works until we all get our sprays out and begin killing upteen thousands to get rid of a fly. LOL
Really? Wow. I only have so much patience for the Bible of Wikipedia, I'm glad you shared that info with me instead lol.
I can't even imagine one catching a hummingbird...they must be really fast. My hummingbirds zip so quickly in and out of the hanging feeder area...
The females would eat the male after mating... hmmm, just wonder why.. ~bangchik
Hi Kyna,
I didn't know that they eat lizards....I saw one once on one of my shrubs. Maybe that explains why it was there - we have lots of lizards.
Bangchik: Maybe because he said her thorax looked fat? :D lol
Noelle: Well, I'm not an expert. I just get my Mantis info off the internet lol. But it makes sense...if Abe said they eat hummingbirds, I sure could see them stalking a lizard O_O
I didn't know they ate lizards etc. I thought they just went after bugs - aphids etc. We saw one on our patio last year, but it was very small.
Yep, most of the ones I see in my garden are tiny! That's why I'm so glad my husband snapped a pic of this huge one :D It almost looks fake lol.
I did not know they ate hummingbirds and lizards. That makes me sad. I like to see all three in my garden, but I am especially fond of my hummingbirds and those lizards with the bright blue stripe on their jet-black tails. Now I want the mantises to stay away!
I wanted to buy some of those praying mantis egg sacks from one of the gardening catalogs but my family wasn't hearing it....they get creeped out way too easy...That would be cool to have thousands of them hatch out all at once...lol...take care.
Meredith: I know what you mean lol. I won't look at them the same way again :(
Sunny: Actually, I think I'm on your family's side LOL.
I saw this episode of "Dirty Jobs" the other night, where he was helping hatch crickets at a cricket farm. Bleah! I'm sure mantises would be just as creepy to me :)
Kyna,
I took a photo once of a Praying Mantis that had killed a hummingbird. As it was in Dare County (inland) NC. The photo was published a lot until a 9 yo kid took better photos with a point and cshoot camera in his backyard of the same thing happening. I'll have to look at your blog more.
Thanks for the giggle this morning. And the flashback. I love your sense of humor!
A book for you to look into..."day of the triffids". Some great maneaters in there.
Rosey
Creepy to me, for sure, especially that BIG sucker. :)
We don't have them here, I would hate to be surprised by one. Pictures of them give me the creeps! :)
Randy: Thanks for stopping by, hope you come back :D You have a great blog, btw. Awesome bird pics that you've posted recently :D
Rosey: I'm glad you like my humour :) Some people think I'm a bit too much in real life...I try and tone it down a bit on here ;) Luckily I work in a bookstore, so I can check out that book. I read a synopsis, I think I would like it!
Nancy: I know! Isn't it crazy? I still enlarge that picture and go O_O
Catherine: Hope you don't have any nightmares starring the mantis.. or of John Oates for that matter! O_O lol
The only praying mantis I have ever seen was when I was in grade two. I was terrified - which delighted my older brother - who then told me there were *lots* of them in our backyard. Yikes!
Ah, the joys of older brothers. I have two of them :P
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