I'd been watching a praying mantis egg case on my kitchen steps all winter. A few days ago it disappeared, but I hadn't seen any babies. The babies are about 1/2 inch across. I showed a rather bad picture of one at A Diversity of Wildlife.
Apparently I missed that stage of these babies, but today I found a teenager on my kitchen door. Just one. Maybe he/she ate all the siblings. Yes, they do that. But I hope more of them lived.
They go through several nymph stages before they gain their wings as adults. No wings on this one yet, I think. The body is only just over an inch long.
Do you remember that I caught some flying around? See I Caught a Fairy
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I guess that the praying mantis is my favorite insect, but as a rule they all freak me out. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise they could fly!
ReplyDeleteI must admit, there were a few times I could have done away with my brother when we were young ( I'm three years his senior ) - especially when he would start playing his drums as I was on the telephone
ReplyDelete( deliberately on his part! ). He did mature into a fine human being.
Great picture. I do hope some of this green fellow/lady ( ? ) has some sibs left.
We happened to be there the day ours hatched--did you see that post??! Gees, they were tiny!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen them lately though--I'm sure they are spread out all over the world at this point. Those are what I call creepy/cool bugs. :)
Well I thought it was bad when my kids would fight, at least they never tried to eat one another :)
ReplyDeleteIt sort of looks like a green bean with legs
Misha- Mantises seem to look particularly prehistoric!
ReplyDeleteJohn- I'd never seen it till a couple of years ago
Carmen- I suspect a few survived. Maybe I'll find them in the field
Lin- I was watching that egg case every day, and I still missed it! I'll have to find your post.
Ann- I like your description!