Praying Mantis… A Prophet or Seer?
As summer was winding down, I had the good fortune to spot an adult praying mantis resting comfortably on a green-colored window shutter on our front porch. It just stood motionless, looking at me as I stared back at him or her. It turned its head a bit as if it was trying to figure out who this huge creature was that was standing way too close to it. He/she remained in this spot for about two days before it disappeared.
My second encounter with a praying mantis or should I more accurately state with its egg sac (called an ootheca) was just before Christmas. On our cut Christmas tree, attached to one of its branches, was the egg sac that had been formed by the female mantis in late fall. Within this protective ball-like structure, as many as 200 or so nymphs will eventually hatch in the Spring season. As with many insects, the life span of an adult praying mantis, both male and female, is only one growth season, so the “parents” of this new generation of mantis have long since departed this earth. By the way, when I noticed the ootheca on our tree, I carefully detached it and placed it in a safe place outdoors among shrubbery in our yard. This measure was necessary to prevent a possible early hatch- out of mantises…
