Praying Mantis (some neat photos and story)
Sept 11, 2015 15:21:54 GMT -5
rmeyer, Bris, and 5 more like this
Post by meizzwang on Sept 11, 2015 15:21:54 GMT -5
I was chillin' at home with my wife, and it was hotter than the devil's oven, even at night! For those of you not familiar with the Bay Area, CA, it's usually in the high 70's during the day and mid 50's at night. Anyways, I'm watching Narcos on Netflix (BTW: I rarely ever watch TV, but it was just too damn hot to be outside) and all of the sudden I hear some wings flapping around the lights...probably just a mosquito hawk....hour later, there was something moving on the wall-NO WAY, a praying mantis!
I grew up in this area, and have never seen a praying mantis here in my entire LIFE! Needless to say, it was rather exciting:
Check out that shadow:creepy crawlies anyone?
How would you like to wake up with this posted on your face?
Alien face?
Seriously, it turns its head and pointed those lurky BUG EYES at me as though it was conscious of my existence, totally freaky!
Praying Mantids are truly beautiful animals, and it's pretty exciting to have them in your yard. We spent hours trying to catch her (kept flying to the roof), and then finally we were able to get it out of the house without harming it. The next day, I was watering some Sarracenia and encountered yet another praying mantis (same one?). Sad story is that it flew away, and almost a second after it landed high up in the trees, a blue jay ate it!
The good news is there's several in town, another one was found chillin by the leucophyllas! They pretty camoflage and the only way you can notice them is when they move from getting rained on by the hose. Perhaps these bug magnets are drawing the praying mantis to them since there's tons of food and water. Everywhere else is a desert: due to the extreme drought, all the landscape is bone dry.
Anyhow, here's the other Praying mantis, she's been there for days and is still posted on the same alata trap (it was originally with the leucos, but after getting water, it moved to the alata). I think these large ones are females:
I grew up in this area, and have never seen a praying mantis here in my entire LIFE! Needless to say, it was rather exciting:
Check out that shadow:creepy crawlies anyone?
How would you like to wake up with this posted on your face?
Alien face?
Seriously, it turns its head and pointed those lurky BUG EYES at me as though it was conscious of my existence, totally freaky!
Praying Mantids are truly beautiful animals, and it's pretty exciting to have them in your yard. We spent hours trying to catch her (kept flying to the roof), and then finally we were able to get it out of the house without harming it. The next day, I was watering some Sarracenia and encountered yet another praying mantis (same one?). Sad story is that it flew away, and almost a second after it landed high up in the trees, a blue jay ate it!
The good news is there's several in town, another one was found chillin by the leucophyllas! They pretty camoflage and the only way you can notice them is when they move from getting rained on by the hose. Perhaps these bug magnets are drawing the praying mantis to them since there's tons of food and water. Everywhere else is a desert: due to the extreme drought, all the landscape is bone dry.
Anyhow, here's the other Praying mantis, she's been there for days and is still posted on the same alata trap (it was originally with the leucos, but after getting water, it moved to the alata). I think these large ones are females:
? Maybe, she noticed you were Asian and thought you may try to eat her. Trying to catch her with chopsticks probably didn't help either. 
To catch them all I have to do is put my finger slightly above their heads and after a few seconds they just climb on. Could I be the mantis whisperer?
Here are images of plant progress on 03/16/2023