WRITING PROMPT RESPONSE

Our Ugandan Praying Mantis Friend

We called him Freddy.

I discovered Freddy one morning while I was picking dead leaves off of this tree in Kikorongo, Uganda. Photo Credit: Author

We had been staying at Elephant Home in Kikorongo, Uganda for a few weeks in 2021 when one day I noticed this guy in the garden. He was sitting in a small tree, on a leaf near another one that I was about to pull off because it had turned yellow.

I almost missed him because, as you can see, he blends in really well. After inspecting him for some time, I realized that he was a praying mantis. Chris did some research and learned that he was a Spiny Flower Mantis (Latin Name: Pseudocreobotra Wahlbergi).

We decided to name him Freddy.

We loved Freddy! Photo Credit: Author

Every day when we came to the garden, and sometimes multiple times per day, we would inspect the plant and search for Freddy. It was always a celebration when we found him, and we would sit and hang out with him, us watching him and him watching us for at least a few minutes.

It was like a big treasure hunt to find him, and we relished in it each day.