The summer has been an exciting one with all the critters I've encountered. Some are typical and I see them from year to year but many have been some that I have not seen in quite some time. A perfect example would be the lovely lady perched on the gorgeous Dinner Plate Dahlia in the picture above - a Praying Mantis or praying mantid. By the way, that's one of many Dahlia plants that we have planted in our yard this year - many different colors and styles too.
***Note: The word mantis derives from the Greek word Mantes for prophet or fortune teller
Actually, I just lied. I now recall finding a Praying Mantis floating in my pool last year but that doesn't count. This one I found outside a local hockey rink on a Milkweed plant, where my son was practicing. I was looking for another Monarch caterpillar - swing and a miss on that search but I was lucky enough to have found something just as interesting!
I brought her home for Emilie to see and enjoy and experience. We caught her some moths that night and she wasted no time in catching and devouring them. This alone is worth the price of admission - it's amazing, the entire process of watching her catch her meal to how she holds it to how she eats it. Here is an excerpt I came across detailing their eating style:
"They wait unmoving and are almost invisible on a leaf or a stem, ready to catch any insect that passes. When potential prey comes close enough, the mantis thrusts its pincher-like forelegs forward to catch it. The prey probably won't escape because the forelegs are so strong and armed with overlapping spines. The mantid bites the neck of its prey to paralyze it and begins to devour it. The mantis almost always starts eating the insect while it's still alive, and almost always starts eating from the insect's neck. This way, the mantis makes sure that the insect's struggle stops quickly."
We kept and enjoyed her for a few days. Yesterday was release day, so we took her to one of our many flower gardens and placed her on the Dahlia - Ok, Ok so you busted me. Yes, we staged the picture. We wanted a nice picture and thought the contrasting colors would be ideal and I must admit we hit this one outta the park! We went back down a few hours later and she was still there, although she'd moved off the flower and was camouflaged perfectly, just waiting for a meal to cross her path!
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