"The praying Mantis with its length of straw
Out of nowhere's forehead born full armed ..."
-- Oscar Williams, "The Praying Mantis Visits A Penthouse"
 |
| Praying Mantis hatchling 6-25-14 |
"Think about Praying Mantis. The deadliest ninja predator ...
they are carnivores who will devour their own species ...
as hatchlings, their first meal is often one of their own siblings."
-- Jane Prowse, The Revenge of Praying Mantis
 |
| Praying Mantis hatchling 6-25-14 |
 |
| Praying Mantis hatchling 6-25-14 |
We've been waiting patiently for the Praying Mantis egg sack in our front shrubbery to release its tiny occupants.
Just a couple of days ago I asked my husband "Have you seen any baby Mantises yet?"
He hadn't.
Me either.
Yesterday I finally did.
I was punching in the numeric code to open the garage door after my bike ride, and one of the little dudes was perched right on top of the keypad. The other one was close by on the garage door molding.
These babies were teeny tiny -- the bigger one was only about a half inch long, tops. And even though they look menacing and predatory in close-up, in real life they look as fragile and harmlessly vulnerable as can be, with skinny little legs that are literally hair-thin.
Luckily they weren't in a hurry to go anywhere and I was able to capture a few shots. I looked around for more siblings, but didn't see any.
They say one Praying Mantis egg sack contains up to 200 babies.
I only saw two.
You know, they also say baby Mantises will eat their own siblings in order to survive the early going, which possibly explains why I only saw two.
Maybe these were the last Mantises standing because they ate the rest of the family for breakfast.
And you know what they say about a good breakfast.
