A few weeks ago, I found a praying mantis in my kitchen. Since my kitchen isn't stocked with mantis food (i.e., live insects), I took the mantis back outside. After that, I didn't see a mantis again until this weekend. When I found the mantis pictured below, I thought it must be the same one that had made its way into the house. It was considerably bigger than I remembered, but it was the same tan color that had worked so well as camouflage against the kitchen cabinets.
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| A tan colored European mantis (Mantis religiosa) female. |
However, to my surprise, I soon encountered a second tan praying mantis in the backyard. This one was sitting in the middle of the path, so I decided to move it to a safer spot. Many years ago, I learned the hard way that a praying mantis can give a nasty pinch. At least I learned that lesson well -- this time I put on my gardening gloves before picking up the mantis.
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| A second European mantis (Mantis religiosa) female. The spikes on the forelimbs can deliver a painful pinch to bare hands. |
The second mantis wasn't my last surprise of the day. When I started clearing dead plants from the front yard, I disturbed a third praying mantis from its hiding place. This praying mantis was the same species as the two in the backyard, but bright green.
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| A green colored European mantis (Mantis religiosa) female. |
This mantis quickly moved towards a bunch of dried plant stems and climbed up off the ground. It was not very well camouflaged in its new spot; nevertheless, it soon began grooming itself, seemingly unaware of the large mammal hovering over it.
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| The green European mantis (Mantis religiosa) grooming itself. |
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