Fascinating read, I had no clue they were capable of eating hummingbirds and suchlike. Only seen one in the wild, in Tunisia.

Gill

Kara, I counted six oothecas (guessing the plural here) in my yard this spring. Those were just the ones I found while pruning butterfly bushes. Haven't seen any hatchlings though. I hope some survived the spiders, birds, bats and ladybugs.

There must be something in your yard attracting them. Very good! Thanks for the info. I haven't seen one in a while but I think I've seen them for sale, catalogs and the nursery.

Thanks everybody. They're really amazing creatures. I know that was a long read, but I've read so much about them I thought I would share:). I wrote what absorbed;).

I've read people putting the oothecas in brown paper bags, and pinning the top closed. I couldn't imagine opening a drawer and seeing hundreds of them.

When I was little my mom said she found like 20 or 30 dead Rollie Pollies in my coat pocket. Kids:).

Hopefully everybody has them in their yard. I'm sure one of those oothecas hatched in your yard Pagan. I get the impression you have a big yard. So I'm sure there are oothecas you didn't even see:). I bet they watch you when you water.

Last year on Halloween I found one on the strut/shock absorber of my car. Took a pic, but it's hard to tell. If you look real hard you can see a green alien looking at me. I'm sure it was a she. She was huge. Hmmm I wonder way she layed that ootheca;).

Oh Gill I watched this little video about how they found a scorpion colony at the Sheerness Dockyard in Kent. Didn't know scorpions didn't naturally exist in England, but I it makes sense that they wouldn't.

They've been coming in on ships. Hopefully they just stay on that dockyard;).

Gill, a mantis feeding on a hummer would be dependent on both the size of the mantis and the bird. Keep in mind that the smallest hummingbird species is only about 5-6 cm from tail tip to beak tip (so the main body is about the size of a bumblebee). Even the largest hummer isn't terribly so with the beak making up a large portion of the overall body length. Particularly in the tropics, there are some big mantids.

It's a rare sights here in Maine. Last time I saw was maybe 15 years ago! Saw praying mantis eggs on Amazon couple weeks ago I wanted to get one l but thought wait bad idea if my cats decide knock it over and theyd gonna be everywhere in house! Lol

They like really warm climates. People totally keep them as pets. I tried with one, but I felt I couldn't provide him with the proper amount food. So I let him go. Plus I almost hurt one of his little praying "arms"when I was closing the container. That was the icing on the cake for me. Had to let him go.

They don't live long either. I've read between 6-12 months. The ones that live 12 months must be the ones from the tropics.

Here are a couple cool Praying Mantis.

Orchid Mantis. I've read they don't exactly mimic an orchid, but overall a generic flower to attract bees. So they just sit and wait. These are really popular for people to keep as pets.

Amazingly beautiful! Other day, saw a picture of praying mantis eating upside down and hanging hummingbird by it's head. Poor thing but still amazing same time, didn't know they could eat something more "meaty" than insect or even their own mate lol.

I saw that too. I've seen pics of them eating lizards also. Must be a slow painful death, but Mother Nature can be nasty. Poor hummer. I guess the Praying Mantis was getting that hummingbird back for all Praying Mantis that have been eatin by hummers:). Still crazy to think about a bug eating a bird.

I think Praying Mantis' are absolutely fascinating insects. Thanks for the educational post & I hope your 'friends' are enjoying their time with you. ;)

It's funny I actually really hate most bugs, but I really find Praying Mantis to be incredible. Any spider bigger than I dime could make me jump outta my skin. I love Ladybugs tho.

Yes! Fascinating. it's a shame we don't get any of the fancy kind around here.

Same here with hate bugs but dragonfly, ladybug praying mantis are only insect I love. showed my mom that orchid mantis, she wants to see one herself because mantis & orchid flowers are her favorite. :)

Makes no sense. When I see a four inch Praying Mantis I go "how cute", but when I see an ugly spider the size of a dime. I go "Eek, get away, get away, get away!".

A couple more

Hooded Praying Mantis:) look how his camouflage even has what looks like decay. It's not perfect looking. Evolution:).

Wow! What an interesting thread! My granddaughter's 2nd grade teacher shared babies from the Mantis they had in an aquarium in their classroom with my daughter. They were fascinating to watch! I don't think they grow naturally in Washington State, but after she let them free, I saw Mantis (Manti??) around my gardens for several years.

Thanks, Kara! Love these creatures. Saw them frequently when I was growing up here in San Diego. Usually by the porch light at night. We kept one for a few days or so to observe and then let it go. I haven't seen any in awhile, maybe because I don't spend as much time outside like I used to as a kid? I hope they are still around, gobbling up mosquitos and what not. Like others have mentioned here, I generally don't go for bugs. Spiders give me the willys. Unless they are Black Widows or Brown Widows (always gonna kill those no matter where they are - inside...outside... Grandkids. Sorry), if spiders are outside I leave them be. ANY spiders inside the house are goners...IF I can get them. Praying mantis, dragon flys, lady bugs have always been favorites of mine.

Really enjoyed this post. This for sharing it.

Tyler

I watched one, sitting on a flower, eat a bee from the back end. Ate right through its abdomen. They eat the good insects! Wish they could eat chipmunks and rabbits.

These critters fascinate me and creep me out. Thinking the movie 'Aliens'. I once watched two that looked like they were in a mating ritual. Maybe they were and the female is like a black widow, or maybe it was two males fighting over territory, but suddenly the head of one popped off and fell on the ground. I never saw the attack that did it, but there was one dead body and one victor crawling away. Wow what a merciless arena.

ez

Eating good insects...eating bad insects. I don't think they discriminate. A Praying Mantis has gotta eat! lol

Tyler

Found number 4:). He is at a totally different spot in my yard. Sorry the pic isn't that great. The sun is putting a glare on him.

Aww that's cute:). I think ours are a little behind in growth because we had a long wet winter. From my experience they should be at least 2 inches by now, but I'm finding small guys:). I know a lot hatch, but I don't even understand how one even makes it. They're so vulnerable when that small. The one I found a couple days ago, in the above pic was full of piss and vinegar. He was ready to fight me.

I was watering just now and found one. I think I already found this guy. Pretty sure he's the 3rd one I found. I haven't been able to find the others, but sometimes they disappear for a month and then come out huge.

Spotted another friend while watering tonight. Poor guy I scared the crap outta him. He's in a totally different part of my yard. Amazing how any of them make it without being eatin or stepped on:).

Kara!

Ya Pagan I'm so happy for you! What a beautiful pic:).

Around the time I made this post I was finding Praying Mantis all over, but after writing this they all just disappeared. In the past week I've spotted two males. One which died on my front porch. I've been keeping the back and front porch lights on because it attracts them. I want to encourage mating as much as I can;).

They really don't live that long. Not even a year. They mate, lay the ootheca, and die.

This morning I found a female in my Firestick and now she's on my garage:).

Well hopefully she mated with one of them. Hoping for babies!

Tyler

Just came home and she's still in the same spot;). Waiting to rip a males head off I'm guessing;).

I was looking at my plants just now and saw a little bug on a mission. Took a closer look and my fav little creatures have hatched. I need a Praying Mantis crossing sign;)! I love their feisty little attitudes even at the size they are now. They’re ready to fight to the death!

I love these guys. I was obsessed with keeping them as a kid.

I once let over 10,000 go in my yard and I have yet to see any since that day 3 years ago(( ..Love those little to big bugs.

Mike

I bought an oothicae in 2015 and late last summer i saw a nymph on a volunteer squash plant. Sometimes they are able to establish (either that or one of my neighbors bought an oothicae lol)

I start getting really protective over them at this stage because their just so darn small. So I sweep all the cob webs and daddy long legs away. Tbh I kinda get a little coo coo for them;).

Last year I thought I would try to keep one. By 48 hours I realized I couldn’t make him happy so I put him outside. Plus every time I put the lid on his container I would almost squish him.

Kara, I walked into my sisters place a year or so ago. Her boys (early teens) excitedly said look what we got!!! And showed me a "fish" tank with no water and filled to the top with small branches and lots of leaves. The "I can't wait for to see it/them grins on the boys faces made me quite nervous. Maybe a lizard, SPIDER!!?!!!? I couldn't see anything and gradually got closer.

The boys were nearly wetting themselves with excitement. Of course that made me even more nervous.

Finally I was right up to to glass, systematically checking the floor then the branches and leaves.

Well I finally saw a few leaves rocking sideways, which confused me. THEN I saw EYES looking at me. I screamed like I was getting murdered or something. Of course the boys and my sister enjoyed that for weeks lol.

There were quite a few of them and now I've seen your video link, they looked like the Dead Leaf ones.

The dead leaf mantis are pretty neat. I mean talk about evolution, they blend so well into their environment.

One is hopefully making a home on my front porch. It’s been there for 24 hours so that’s a good sign. When they’re this small they find a spot and stay. Thankfully for him I cleaned all the daddy long legs off that area because they would have loved to have him as a snack;).

I've only seen one my entire life. It was on the porch plants and stood out because it was green and the grassy background was brown in mid summer.

I figure it was bought by somebody as a pest eater..and it managed to survive to its 2" or so.

I did not realize we had Mantis species thriving in the Bay Area. I never see them down here in the South Bay. When I lived in New York we had many of the huge green Asian species, and those were impressive. They would kill anything that moved and had enormous appetites.

Mantid* species (cute smiley emoji here)

I found a beautiful green alien today;).

They’re getting bigger because last month I found a few aliens that were itty bitty, but now much bigger.

I have a wild kingdom going..and I would think Crows would make fast work of Mantids. I used to see Jays and Mockingbirds..but once cats started in this neighborhood,rare to see them. Possums would make a snack of them...they eat anything.

Even the number of fence lizards has gone down..when they had showed up for a few years out of nowhere. Same for Garter Snakes come to think of it.

Could be the wet weather 2 years in a row spread everybody out?

I once read that even AFTER the female bites the male's head off, he continues to mate with her-HEADLESS! I thought that quite disturbing.

I read on Dave’s Garden that the males are a little to enthusiastic to stay on the female’s back. Let’s say they overstay their welcome;). She will bite his poor little alien head off. But unfortunately for her he gets stuck on her back.

If you like this bug here’s a nice little blog about them;).

Randi, tell me about any species not sometimes losing their heads copulating. I'd guess it would be a short list.

Cactus, this is so true!

Kara,when are you going to post more of your plants? What do you have going in the garden?

I still have the Pachys in ground..but I've removed things I never should have planted to start with..big all green clumping Aloe's, Yucca's,Agave americana. Haven't replanted in most spots yet..sort of an openness now. For only a while!.

How about you?

If the leaf’s a rockin;)!

I found them a couple hrs ago and they’re still at it. I don’t blame her for ripping his head off afterwards;).

This is the commentary I come to GW for, Kara - thanks for making Mondays a little less tedious.

For some reason my cat likes to eat these. I try to stop him but, as most cat owners know, after a cat gets an idea in their head to do something you really can't stop them.

He’s probably afraid to let go. He knows what’s coming after so better make those last moments last!