Posts Tagged: Stagmomantis limbata

A Good Day for a Praying Mantis

It was a good day for a praying mantis. It was not a good day for a honey bee. Here's what happened in the "Daily Insect News": a gravid praying...

A gravid praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, dines on a honey bee in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A gravid praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, dines on a honey bee in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Prey Tell, Where Are All the Mantids?

Prey tell, where are all the praying mantids? Last fall, a Stagmomantis limbata deposited her egg case, or ootheca, on an clothespin...

A beautiful gravid praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, is right at home in the lantana. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A beautiful gravid praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, is right at home in the lantana. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Find the praying mantis! In the flood of red and gold lantana blossoms is a gush of green: a beautiful gravid praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Find the praying mantis! In the flood of red and gold lantana blossoms is a gush of green: a beautiful gravid praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A very gravid praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A very gravid praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Well, hello there! The praying mantis eyes the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Well, hello there! The praying mantis eyes the photographer. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

How to Find a Praying Mantis in the Wild

If you're trying to find a praying mantis in the wild, go where the food source is. Sounds pretty easy, right? But oh, they're camouflaged. They lie...

A praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, hides beneath an African blue basil leaf in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, hides beneath an African blue basil leaf in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, hanging out in the African blue basil leaf, scouts for bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, hanging out in the African blue basil leaf, scouts for bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Green Legs and Bam!

Have you ever seen a green-legged praying mantis on a green leaf? Praying mantis expert Lohitashwa "Lohit" Garikipati, identified this...

Green legs of this male praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, are camouflaged in this patch of African blue basil. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Green legs of this male praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, are camouflaged in this patch of African blue basil. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Find the Praying Mantis in the African Blue Basil

Honey bees absolutely love African blue basil. If there ever were a "bee magnet," this plant is it.  We first learned of African blue...

In this image, you can see two bees on the African blue basil. But can you find the praying mantis? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

In this image, you can see two bees on the African blue basil. But can you find the praying mantis? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Oh, there you are, praying mantis! Enjoying a little sunshine, hmm? This one is a male subadult male Stagmomantis limbata, as identified by mantis expert Lohit Garikipati, a UC Davis alumnus now studying for his master's degree at Towson (Maryland) University. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Oh, there you are, praying mantis! Enjoying a little sunshine, hmm? This one is a male subadult male Stagmomantis limbata, as identified by mantis expert Lohit Garikipati, a UC Davis alumnus now studying for his master's degree at Towson (Maryland) University. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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