So when I spotted a baby praying mantis a week or so ago, I ran for my camera. Alas, it was long gone by the time I returned. I hope somebody didn’t eat him!
I try to be very careful during the winter clean-up of the garden. While pruning and clearing I keep an eye out for their egg sacs, which they place on any manner of handy wood. Sometimes I’ll find them on a fence post, but often I find them on some branch I was intending to prune away. When that happens, I change my pruning plans and leave their home intact. One can never have too many of these little bugs in your garden.
One year I had one living in the light fixture at our front door. She had a handy, dandy built-in buffet, because in a near-by sculpture on the wall, some nasty ol’ wasps had built a nest. (You can always tell the she’s from the he’s in the mantis world – the she’s have lovely, wide hips. The guys are straight and narrow through the hips. Honest!) Anyway, I would often open the front door and hear a horrid buzzing noise. I’d look up and sure enough, there would be my ferocious little hunter with another wasp in her clutches, munching away.
Yesterday I spied another praying mantis baby and happened to have my camera handy.
This little one was running all over the equipment that Landscape Guy, Dave, was using where he’s working on a little project in our back yard (a story for another day). What is it about kids and dirt-moving equipment? They can’t resist it.
“Dave,” I said, “throw me your tape measure! I need some perspective here.”
He carried it over and watched for a few minutes as I struggled to hold the tape measure in one hand, the camera in the other, while trying to get Junior to pose. Have you ever tried to get a squirming, wriggling infant praying mantis (or infant anything, for that matter) to perform on cue? Without squishing him? I’m here to tell you it doesn’t work.
“Do you want me to hold the tape measure for you?” Dave asked.
I rolled me eyes at him and said, “No, you can get back to work. My problems are not your problems.”
He rolled his eyes right back at me.
“Well, this one, at least, is not your problem.” I said, acknowledging that I always call him when something breaks.
“Sit! Stay!” I ordered Junior.
 |
How to measure a praying mantis
|
Finally we have some “measure” of success. I crack me up.
Junior was full of energy and was not about to sit still very long for anyone or anything. As determined as he/she (hard to judge the hips at this age) was to explore the construction site, I was just as determined to transplant him to a safer location.
My arm seemed like as good a ride as any to Junior. He was probably wondering what the heck kind of mess he had gotten himself into. “Worry” was written all over his face. I could tell because his eyes were bugging out!
Off I trotted into a different part of the garden. I found a lush stand of phlox, just about ready to burst into bloom. The little guy was more than happy to leap off my arm into the forest of greenery. I’m sure there will be plenty of good eating in there.
Hopefully the next time we see each other, time and good hunting will have packed some weight on him, and I won’t have to put on my reading glasses to bring him into focus!
