The praying mantis is such an interesting little creature. I used to find them every now and then at my grandma’s but we have a fairly good population of them around here. There seems to be an abundance of every kind of bug and critter around here but at least the praying mantis is a good one and quite interesting.
Praying Mantis
They are great to have around the garden and on the front porch because they do eat lots of bugs.
Most of the ones we have around here are green. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a brown one or, maybe they’re so camo that I never noticed them but this one has been hanging out on my front porch windows for quite a while. He looks like he’s eating good!
Praying Mantis
I don’t really like the way that one looks but he probably doesn’t like the way I look either! 🙂
I found this online: pregnant females have been known to devour mice, scorpions, snakes and lizards. I think I need more praying mantis and we need more breeding going on. Having lots of pregnant praying mantis would be great!
Sharon McCurdy says
But keep them away from your hummingbirds. They will kill a hummer and eat them.
Ruth Chow says
I’ve seen some around here–big ones! I hope they find a lot of cockroaches to eat and I wouldn’t mind if they got whatever is burrowing tunnels in our yard.
Sherrill Pecere says
GOOD GRIEF!! I never knew they ate stuff that big like the mice and snakes and stuff!!! Your blog is definitely informative if nothing else!! HAHA
Valerie. Zagami says
I have many, many praying mantis in my yard. They appear to love the morning glory vines. I plant them all around a fence and built tall structures as they grow. I have green and brown ones. I have watched one eat a very big round bumble bee. A funny thing is that when I moved here most if not all my neighbors had never seen or noticed them so as I pointed them out they were interested. I heard often, I found one of you bugs and brought him back and put him on the whatever bush or plant was nearest! Rather funny but got people to notice! I also collect the pods they lay and put them in little onion sacks on a tree so they are protected from winter when cutting back plants. Nature is amazing..
Penny in CA says
Several yrs ago my son brought my grands to visit after they attended church. He told me that the youngest girl did not want to leave the play yard at church school because there were many praying mantis ~ her favorite insect. When they arrived at my house she was carrying a little purse that she wouldn’t put down. My son thought she was in the bathroom too long & went to check on her. She wasn’t in the bathroom but in bed in the guest room keeping a very large praying mantis that she had brought in her purse company while “he” took a nap. The praying mantis was laying on the pillow next to her head. She had covered the body of it with a tissue & left it’s head sticking out. No it wasn’t dead but much to my grands dismay my son did relocate it to my back yard.This is the same little grand daughter that also liked snails as little pet friends!!That is until her friends told her snails were icky & they weren’t going to play with her if she played with icky snails.