This scared me

[Dirtyhip]

I jumped and squawked. I think it was clinging to me. It crawled down onto my arm. My ecosystem is very healthy, apparently.

One time I had one in my hair.

 

[jsharr ★]

When I was in the nursery business, we had a pet praying mantis.  We would catch bugs in Tulsa them into her bush. She would stalk them and eat them.

[Dirtyhip]

2 minutes ago, jsharr said:

When I was in the nursery business, we had a pet praying mantis.  We would catch bugs in Tulsa them into her bush. She would stalk them and eat them.

That is great.  I put this friend in my flower bed.  

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

19 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

I jumped and squawked.

They used to startle me, too!

I felt better around them after I watched this self-help documentary:

[maddmaxx ★]

[ChrisL]

I came across a large praying mantis once in the army.  I had never seen one before & thought I’d catch it.  So I pinned  him by the wings, it spun its torso & took a chunk out of my finger!  

Bastard!!!

[jsharr ★]

49 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

I came across a large praying mantis once in the army.  I had never seen one before & thought I’d catch it.  So I pinned  him by the wings, it spun its torso & took a chunk out of my finger!  

Bastard!!!

Luckily, it wasn’t a female, praying mantis. She would’ve eaten your head.

[Longjohn ★]

This one was on my front porch yesterday. They seem to be everywhere this time of year.

9 hours ago, ChrisL said:

I came across a large praying mantis once in the army.  I had never seen one before & thought I’d catch it.  So I pinned  him by the wings, it spun its torso & took a chunk out of my finger!  

Bastard!!!

I picked one up one time by picking it up just behind its head like I would a snake. It reached around with one of its legs and sliced my finger. They are quite the fighting machine. I watched one eat a large grasshopper one time. The grasshopper didn’t have a chance.

[Ralphie ★]

I haven’t seen one of those in ages. I never even thought of  i~}%<?ing with them.

 

[Longjohn ★]

2 minutes ago, Ralphie said:

I haven’t seen one of those in ages. I never even thought of  i~}%<?ing with them.

That’s because you’re smarter than the average forumite.

[Ralphie ★]

21 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

That’s because you’re smarter than the average forumite.

At least meaner!  

[ChrisL]

1 hour ago, Longjohn said:

That’s because you’re smarter than the average forumite.

Or at least two of them! 😂

[Dirtyhip]

12 hours ago, ChrisL said:

I came across a large praying mantis once in the army.  I had never seen one before & thought I’d catch it.  So I pinned  him by the wings, it spun its torso & took a chunk out of my finger!  It defended itself against.  I was beng a Bastard.  

FIFY  

[Kirby]

Awww, initially scary but cute!

[groupw]

I used to see them a lot back in Nebraska. I did see some here last winter. Ugly enough for a mother to love but great at their job! And just because there is a song for everything-

 

[JerrySTL ★]

Here's a small one with a hummingbird on a feeder in my back yard. I later found out that praying mantis do attack hummingbirds.

[team scooter]

Last week, this one spent much of the day on the forklift at work until I took it outside. Sadly, the next day I think I saw it smashed on the sidewalk outside. 

[Longjohn ★]

1 minute ago, team scooter said:

Last week, this one spent much of the day on the forklift at work until I took it outside. Sadly, the next day I think I saw it smashed on the sidewalk outside. 

I wonder what they do in the winter? They probably die anyway. I’ve never seen big ones early in the year.

[Longjohn ★]

According to SIRI:   few may hibernate under fallen logs. Most end up being eaten by predators or other praying mantises. The female lays eggs in the fall on plant stems. She encases them in a foamy substance that then hardens to protect the eggs through the winter.

[Dirtyhip]

4 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

I wonder what they do in the winter? They probably die anyway. I’ve never seen big ones early in the year.

They die.  The few that try and hibernate will die of old age by Spring or get killed by predators.  The females lay eggs and encase them with a layer of yuck that protects the eggs from the cold.  In Spring they hatch and it all starts over again.  

[ChrisL]

I don’t recall ever seeing them in SoCal but I’m sure we have them.  I have only seen them in VA.