Tuesday, July 6, 2010

My charming new friend

Hello ladies,

Today I met a new garden friend. May I introduce you to a baby praying mantis?


I love his pose in the photo above. What a good model!


Look at size of the baby praying mantis when compared to a honey bee. Both mantis and bee are positioned similarly on the same flower.

He is about the same length as the nail on my pointer finger.


Like babies of just about any species, this praying mantis was so playful. He jumped from the flower to my hand. He sat for awhile on my camera, then landed on my dress. He spring boarded off the flowers on my dress back to the orange dahlia. We had much fun together! I hope to see him again soon.

For those of you wondering, I am wearing Almost Famous by Color Club. I will put the post up with my manicure late this evening or in the early morning hours.

Happy painting ladies! I hope you enjoyed your bit of whimsy for the day!

23 comments:

  1. When they hatch they are even tiny tiny like little ants and you have to look very close to tell what they are. You can buy egg cases. Put the egg case in a brown paper bag and set it near a sunny window. When they hatch it sounds like popcorn popping. Take the bag outside before opening it and out come swarms of babies. The idea is that althogh most of them will move away some will stay in your garden and eat other insects.

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  2. Itty bitty! That's so cute how playful he is. :o)

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  3. I had two of those while in college (I was a bio major). I wasn't supposed to turn them into pets but I did. :p Great pictures!

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  4. peripatetic33: We are on the same wavelength. I hope some day I can help bring some praying mantises into the world. It amuses me to learn they emerge sounding like popcorn. That is so unbelievably awesome!

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  5. Laura: The whole experience made me so happy. <3

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  6. cupcakequeen22: I would have responded in the same way. Every encounter I have had with a praying mantis has been delightful! I am glad you liked the pictures. :)

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  7. Oooh, that is TOO cute! I've never seen a baby before! And from what I can see, your polish is gorgeous too. Look how teeny he is in comparison to that bee!

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  8. OMG. He is adorable. I'm usually horrified by bugs, but I love praying mantids! I had one that was bigger than my hand last summer, but she was pregnant and costing me a small fortune in crickets to feed her, so I had to release her. My sons loved having her for a pet

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  9. i'm afraid of bug but he is sooo cute :)

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  10. I find praying mantis creepy. However, Diana, only you could make them into a cute delight. :)

    Do you have any praying mantis colored nail polish?? ;)

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  11. How adorable! You always find the most delightful things in your garden!

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  12. So. Adorable... ^-^

    I think I'll go buy some egg cases on Friday & let them take care of the pesky bugs in my garden. Unless they eat spiders. Then I won't be able to... I really like my spiders. ^-^

    Excited to see your new manicure! ^-^

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  13. ah~ a single one looks cute but I get nervous when I see more (of any insects) together. I'm amazed you spotted such a small creature and took so many nice photos.

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  14. Great photos! ^^ I think the last time I saw a praying mantis in person was when I was six years old, at my grandparents' apartment. We found him exploring my grandma's bamboo lampshade. c:

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  15. OMGS IT IS SO CUTE I MIGHT EXPLODE! I want to raise some praying mantis! I wonder if I can get them in BC. I had one as a pet once, he was so radical!

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  16. Twister: A perfect description! :)

    Nicole: It was my first experience ever seeing a baby mantis! I was so surprised. I think he liked my polish too! ;)

    Scandalous: I can't imagine trying to keep a mantis in crickets! That would take some work! I saw a fully grown mantis last summer and took a few pictures. It's amazing to me how friendly they are with humans. <3

    rmcandlelight: Aww! This little guy could charm anyone. :)

    Kimberly: The praying mantis is in the same category for me as a butterfly. I love seeing them about. I bet I do have a polish dupe to a mantis green. Maybe OPI Greenwich Village? ;)

    Liz: Thank you! He's such a sweet little guy.

    terrenity: The community garden is such a wonderland! I feel like I am always stumbling into something unexpected every time I enter through the bronze gates. :)

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  17. The BlakkDuchess: I did a little research. They mostly strike at insects walking by. A few sites mentioned they will eat spiders, but it was at the end of a long list of other insects. Although they are opportunistic eaters, it doesn't seem like spiders are their meal of choice. I love spiders too.

    Fay H: Thank you! One of the gardeners was so surprised. He had never seen a mantis before! I think animals and insects like to pop out and greet me. :)

    grace: I can easily envision a mantis relaxing on a bamboo lampshade. What a wonderful image! <3

    Skulda: I hope you are able to raise a mantis family. I imagine they would be sweet as pets. <3

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  18. What an adorable bug! I've never seen a baby before. Love this shade of yellow. Looks perfect with the flowers. It's so amazing the things you learn while reading other comments.

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