Posts Tagged: praying mantis

'This Hanging Pot Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us!'

"This hanging potted plant ain't big enough for both of us!" That's what a female praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, seemed to be warning when...

Two female praying mantes, Stagmomantis limbata, encounter one another on a potted plant in Vacaville. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

Two female praying mantes, Stagmomantis limbata, encounter one another on a potted plant in Vacaville. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

The praying mantis battle turns vicious, as a battle royale begins. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

The praying mantis battle turns vicious, as a battle royale begins. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

One praying mantis dominates her competitor. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

One praying mantis dominates her competitor. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

The winning mantis eating the loser's head. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

The winning mantis eating the loser's head. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

Ms. Mantis and Her Morning Exercises

Scenario: A female praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, is perched on a daphne. Pho-tog: "Good morning, Ms. Mantis! How are...

Photographer to the praying mantis: "Good morning, Ms. Mantis! How are you today? Hope you're not thinking about catching a bee for breakfast!" (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Photographer to the praying mantis: "Good morning, Ms. Mantis! How are you today? Hope you're not thinking about catching a bee for breakfast!" (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Oh, no!" Ms. Mantis tells the photographer. "I would never think of catching a bee! I'm...ahem...allergic to bees. Yes, that's it. I'm ALLERGIC to bees. I'm just...ahem...doing my morning exercises. Gotta stay in shape." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Oh, no!" Ms. Mantis tells the photographer. "I would never think of catching a bee! I'm...ahem...allergic to bees. Yes, that's it. I'm ALLERGIC to bees. I'm just...ahem...doing my morning exercises. Gotta stay in shape." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ms. Mantis spots a bee below the daphne. "Gotta go do my floor exercises now. Yes, that's it. My floor exercises!" (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ms. Mantis spots a bee below the daphne. "Gotta go do my floor exercises now. Yes, that's it. My floor exercises!" (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Spiked Forelegs of a Praying Mantis: There Is No Escape

A praying mantis, an incredible ambush predator, can lie in wait for hours for its prey.  Often it's so camouflaged that it totally blends in...

This praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, has just ambushed a honey bee and is grasping it in its spiked forelegs. There is no Harry Houdini-kind of escape. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, has just ambushed a honey bee and is grasping it in its spiked forelegs. There is no Harry Houdini-kind of escape. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Death grip. With its two spiked forelegs, the praying mantis firmly grasps the honey bee. Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Death grip. With its two spiked forelegs, the praying mantis firmly grasps the honey bee. Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Praying Mantis: Hey, Take My Picture!

The scenario: a male praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, is perched on a pink zinnia in a Vacaville pollinator garden filled with bees and...

A praying mantis pretends to be a bodybuilder like Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis pretends to be a bodybuilder like Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"How's this for an action-figure pose?" the praying mantis asks. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"How's this for an action-figure pose?" the praying mantis asks. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The praying mantis catches a bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The praying mantis catches a bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Sorry," says the mantis. "I was hungry. I'll see myself out now." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Sorry," says the mantis. "I was hungry. I'll see myself out now." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Magical Mantis Moments

It was a "Magical Mantis Kind of Day" when the Bohart Museum of Entomology hosted an open house last Sunday afternoon, Aug. 27, on praying...

For the Bohart Museum open house on praying mantises, Kevin Murakoshi of Davis crafted these intricate origami praying mantises. With him is UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum. Murakoshi, a UC Davis alumnus and former UC Davis employee (computer research specialist), is the principal solutions architect at Amazon Web Services. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

For the Bohart Museum open house on praying mantises, Kevin Murakoshi of Davis crafted these intricate origami praying mantises. With him is UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum. Murakoshi, a UC Davis alumnus and former UC Davis employee (computer research specialist), is the principal solutions architect at Amazon Web Services. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of the origami masterpieces of praying mantises, the work of Kevin Murakoshi of Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of the origami masterpieces of praying mantises, the work of Kevin Murakoshi of Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Talented photographer Ian Alexander Levin of Sacramento displayed enlarged images of praying mantises at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Behind him is one of his images of a mantis eating a bee. Levin owns a child daycare in Sacramento and likes to share his images and critters with the youngsters in a "Critter Corner." He is the administrator of the Facebook page, SacraMantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Talented photographer Ian Alexander Levin of Sacramento displayed enlarged images of praying mantises at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Behind him is one of his images of a mantis eating a bee. Levin owns a child daycare in Sacramento and likes to share his images and critters with the youngsters in a "Critter Corner." He is the administrator of the Facebook page, SacraMantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Skylar Primavera, who studied praying mantises while attending UC Santa Barbara (bachelor's degree in biology, 2020) displayed a live mantis and life-cycle models (from the ootheca, the egg case, to the adult), and answered questions about the insect. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Skylar Primavera, who studied praying mantises while attending UC Santa Barbara (bachelor's degree in biology, 2020) displayed a live mantis and life-cycle models (from the ootheca, the egg case, to the adult), and answered questions about the insect. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Hands that have never touched a praying mantis touched this European mantis, at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Hands that have never touched a praying mantis touched this European mantis, at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

In a green praying mantis costume, Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, answered questions from the guests at the open house on Aug. 27. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

In a green praying mantis costume, Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, answered questions from the guests at the open house on Aug. 27. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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