Sunday Sun with a Praying Mantis
Categories: Photography, Weather, Environmentalism
This little lady was sunning herself on our walkway yesterday afternoon. The weather has cooled off enough that hanging out on the sun-warmed stone is a feature. They are fascinating little creatures and terribly photogenic!
Did you know that the praying mantis (Mantis religiosa) is not native to North America? It was introduced from Europe at the end of the 1800s and has spread across the eastern half of the continent and as far northwest as Ontario. Both Connecticut and Florida have mantids as their state insects. There are about 20 species of mantids that are native to North America. Apprently those species don’t eat enough because the Praying Mantis and Chinese Mantis were introduced specifically as pest control.
The USDA lists them as a “beneficial insect” - so at least time introducing a non-native species worked out!
tags: bugs, insects, mantis religiosa, non-native species, photographs, photography, praying mantis
October 15th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
Nice pic. Now, I know you’ve got much more resolution than you’re showing on flickr, you should be able to pull a good detail from his face.
Jon