I had to go back a few days for my photo for Bushboy’s Last on the Card photo challenge (see more responses here). It proved to be this praying mantis lurking on a plumeria flower stem.
Lurking
Tag Archives: Praying Mantis
Looking back at 2023
Sunday Stills challenge theme this week and next week is ‘Your 2023 Year-in-Review.’ See more responses here. As before, I’m going with a favorite photo from each month of 2023, with a caption and link to the post the photo first appeared in. This week, I’m posting favorites from January through June. See the rest of the year next week.
Tiny Praying Mantis
I saw this praying mantis on a crown flower recently. It’s undoubtedly the smallest I’ve ever seen. It might also be the fastest moving mantis I’ve seen. It was zipping around, mostly trying to shake me off, I think!
A wing and a prayer
This praying mantis was on the ground at work and likely to get stepped on, so I moved it to a safer spot. In the process, it opened its wings exposing the lovely markings on them.
Upon reflection
I saw this praying mantis on a window reflecting the nearby hillside. That and the strong shadow of the mantis is what I like about this image.
One of these is not a sparrow
The praying mantis had been on the rail for some time when the sparrows arrived. I feared for its chances, but it remained very still and the sparrows never seemed to notice it, even though they hung around for a while.
Praying Mantis drinking
I like scenes like this. We know they happen all the time, but don’t often get to see them, at least in my experience.
Praying Mantis waiting
This Praying Mantis spent several days on this Agave Attenuata, waiting patiently for food. There were bees all over the flowers and I think the mantis got some of them, as well as other insects.
I presumed the mantis was a female as it seemed to be getting bigger. A couple of days after taking these photos, the mantis disappeared but I saw an egg sac on a nearby tree, so maybe there will be more on the way!
Graham's Island 