Missing My Creatures

[Pierow]

My office is next door to the Sears office building they closed down over the past couple of years. Last year was the demolition which is when they stopped mowing all the acres of land the building sat on. I just realized why I haven't seen my little or sort of big creatures at all this year.

For the past 8 years or so I would have anywhere from one to three preying mantises or mantes (had to look up the plural) hanging around the back of my office either on the window screens or cleverly hidden in the evergreens. I knew where they were always and spotting them initially was the toughest part. Last year there was one at eye level that I decided to get a bit cheeky with and brought my face within inches of it. The mantis, after a brief moment, turned that alien-looking head about 120 degrees and locked eyes with me. Just neat those few times in our lives when you have some kind of connection with one of God's creatures. It started that herky-jerky movement with it's front legs like it was readying to attack so I backed off of course.

What used to be a highly maintained plot of land next door is now overgrown and a virtual feeding frenzy for my little friends. I'll be lucky to have them back again. I think I'll take a long nature walk through there this weekend and see just what those weeds are hiding.

Pierow

 

[m657]

among my own favorite of the insect world too!!!

 

[gramps]

I had a class mate (parochial school) whose face reminded me of a praying mantis.
gramps

 

[Cooperhawk]

A few years back one of our Controllers brought in a packet of Praying Mantis eggs to give to a friend for his garden. He placed them in a warm spot above a radar, and then forgot them. A couple weeks later we had little mantis's scurrying all over our radar scopes. :shock:

I believe it is the Mantis that after mating the female bites the head off the male and eats it. :shock:

 

[Pierow]

I had a class mate (parochial school) whose face reminded me of a praying mantis.
gramps

Your dry delivery gets me every time Gramps.

 

[KWYJIBO]

They are fascinating creatures, and very effective predators by design.

 

[eveled]

Just neat those few times in our lives when you have some kind of connection with one of God's creatures.

Pierow

Mine came when I was a kid, I was scaling a rock face, on a dare, barely hanging on by my finger tips, when a stick on the rock in front of my face moved. It was one of those walking stick bugs, very neat to see, unfortunately I wasn't in a position to thoroughly enjoy the meeting. Although brief, it was memorable.

An afternoon spent with a hummingbird when I was 5 also comes to mind.

I hope the mantis's come back to your window, but I am sure they are happy in their new home. Enjoy your walk this weekend. /Ed

 

[Fox Mike]

Normally we have them all over the yard, but this year seems a bit thin. Perhaps it was the extreme cold we had last winter? No matter the reason, we had not nearly as many this year as the last many years.

 

[Selena]

Considering they are praying most for another meal you should be happy the little buggers now have an optimum hunting ground.

 

[whichwatch]

My office backs up to a thick stand of timber on two sides. We get visits from deer, raccoons, opossum, ground squirrels, squirrels, lizards, snakes, ducks, geese, hawks, snails and every insect I could even think of to list. We saw a squirrel trying to hide walnuts in one of the guy's truck suspension yesterday. They also sit walnuts on my window sill in the corner, they must think they are hiding them.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

We used to have 'Praying Mantises" and 'Walking Sticks' out back by the propane tank along with Black Widow's. They spit don't they? :?

 

[toysoldier]

We used to have 'Praying Mantises" and 'Walking Sticks' out back by the propane tank along with Black Widow's. They spit don't they? :?

Grasshoppers produce "spit" like tobacco juice; don't know about the mantis.