Nicky March
All Grown Up
It seemed for about a week, that I couldn't spot a mantis, and I was confused as to whether they relocated, died...or possibly ate each other ;-) The past couple of days, I've realized why they were hard to spot...and I'm sure you can guess from the image. After their last...and possibly final molt, most have changed color. Out of the 4 I found in one area, 2 were all pale brown, one was a combination of brown/green...like this male here...and one was all green, but with brown accents. When I looked around, and noticed how much of the brush is already changing, I could see how a more brown appearance helps them blend. Whereas in spring and early summer, when everything was lush and green, their bright green color was better camouflage.
The next difference....wings! Yes...we now have flying stick figures floating around our yard lol. But I found the wings covering the abdomen was making it difficult to determine gender. So with research and more watching, I found both genders have wings. But the females, being larger, with the thicker, heavier abdomens, do not fly, and therefore have wings that are just about the length of their body. Whereas the lighter, narrower males sport longer wings that are a little longer then their abdomen, and are the ones that are seen flying, usually to find a mate...of course ;-)
And they've grown much bigger! No more are they the little bitty green aliens I was used to holding. But I've found these larger, more intimidating mantises are just as friendly, and even try and climb on my camera when I get it close lol. So my mantis study continues ;-) Please view large.
The kids are going back to school in a couple of days, so being loaded with back to school arrangements and activities, this will probably be my last post for the week, but I'll be stopping by to check in with everyone. Have a wonderful week, my friends :-)
All Grown Up
It seemed for about a week, that I couldn't spot a mantis, and I was confused as to whether they relocated, died...or possibly ate each other ;-) The past couple of days, I've realized why they were hard to spot...and I'm sure you can guess from the image. After their last...and possibly final molt, most have changed color. Out of the 4 I found in one area, 2 were all pale brown, one was a combination of brown/green...like this male here...and one was all green, but with brown accents. When I looked around, and noticed how much of the brush is already changing, I could see how a more brown appearance helps them blend. Whereas in spring and early summer, when everything was lush and green, their bright green color was better camouflage.
The next difference....wings! Yes...we now have flying stick figures floating around our yard lol. But I found the wings covering the abdomen was making it difficult to determine gender. So with research and more watching, I found both genders have wings. But the females, being larger, with the thicker, heavier abdomens, do not fly, and therefore have wings that are just about the length of their body. Whereas the lighter, narrower males sport longer wings that are a little longer then their abdomen, and are the ones that are seen flying, usually to find a mate...of course ;-)
And they've grown much bigger! No more are they the little bitty green aliens I was used to holding. But I've found these larger, more intimidating mantises are just as friendly, and even try and climb on my camera when I get it close lol. So my mantis study continues ;-) Please view large.
The kids are going back to school in a couple of days, so being loaded with back to school arrangements and activities, this will probably be my last post for the week, but I'll be stopping by to check in with everyone. Have a wonderful week, my friends :-)