I saw it fly into my yard and land in my mountian ash tree. I rushed inside , well as rushed as I can get with this bum knee. Got my camera and put it in macro as I hurried ( Vivian pace ) and started taking photos of this beautiful creature.
I have always love praying mantises, as a child we would capture them and keep them in the screened porch every summer. They kept our porch virtially fly free, a pratice now I would discourage my grand children from doing. These awesome insects eat many a pest in the garden. They need to be free to eat and eat some more.
I got a few good shots in .
I'm pretty sure she was looking right at me as I took this picture.
The mantis started making it's way to a bunch of berries on the tree.
Here she is climbing the berries.
This is the last picture I took before she got annoyed and flew away.
I don't feel so bad bugging her because the birds would have made a meal of her anyway.
All photos taken September 8th 2008
with Olypmus C-2500L in macro
at Ellensburg, Kittitas, washingtong State my back yard
By Vivian E Pattee
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Comments: 31
I know the can get you with the claw like legs but I have never been bothered
Thanks so much for posting this to
my group
I love them, too. Now if you do me up an essay on "walking sticks" I'd be even MORE impressed.
that is the BIGGEST one I have ever seen ('cept the one I slept under in the Museum of Science & Industry one night...).
When I was in Bangkok, I had a maid that "wore" one in her hair all the time. It was there every day and it must have fed on her "lice". Just kidding. She fed it and I can't remember what she fed it with. I'll always remember.
These aren't native here they were brought by the farmers as a natural pesticide or at least thats what I was told.
~~Paying it Forward!~~