Posts Tagged: prey

The Monarch and the Mantis

If you're rearing monarchs or offering them a “way station” of nectar-producing flowers in your yard, there's one thing you don't want to...

A gravid praying mantis, her abdomen bloated, grabs a migrating monarch nectaring on a butterfly bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A gravid praying mantis, her abdomen bloated, grabs a migrating monarch nectaring on a butterfly bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The praying mantis, perfectly camouflaged, resembles a leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The praying mantis, perfectly camouflaged, resembles a leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A spiked foreleg circles the monarch's thorax. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A spiked foreleg circles the monarch's thorax. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The spiked foreleg pierces a wing. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The spiked foreleg pierces a wing. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

To Kill a Monarch

It's a sin to kill a mockingbird, wrote Pulitzer Prize-winning author Harper Lee in her classic novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird." "Mockingbirds don't...

A praying mantis nails a monarch butterfly on a butterfly bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey(

A praying mantis nails a monarch butterfly on a butterfly bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey(

Close-up of the predator and the prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of the predator and the prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A monarch butterfly wing in the foreground; praying mantis in the background. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A monarch butterfly wing in the foreground; praying mantis in the background. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Prey for Me

Whenever folks post photos of praying mantids, their readers expect to see prey. You know, the hapless bee or butterfly that made the fatal mistake...

A praying mantis perches on a blanketflower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis perches on a blanketflower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Well, hello there! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Well, hello there! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Praying mantis startles a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Praying mantis startles a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A close-up view of an antenna of a praying mantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A close-up view of an antenna of a praying mantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Watch Out!

The hummingbirds seemed apprehensive. They'd fly to the feeder, stop in mid-air, and turn back. What was keeping them from the feeder? A closer...

A praying mantis is sprawled out on a hummingbird feeder, as a hummer takes a drink. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis is sprawled out on a hummingbird feeder, as a hummer takes a drink. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The praying mantis moves to another spot. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The praying mantis moves to another spot. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Silhouette of the praying mantis lying in wait. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Silhouette of the praying mantis lying in wait. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

There Is Such a Thing as a Free Lunch

There is such a thing as a free lunch. And a free breakfast. And a free dinner. And a free snack. That is, if you're a freeloader...

A freeloader fly dines on a bee freshly killed by a garden spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A freeloader fly dines on a bee freshly killed by a garden spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a freeloader fly, family Milichiidae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a freeloader fly, family Milichiidae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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