Yesterday, Shara (Mrs. LeValley) stopped at my office to go to lunch with me. When she came to the office door, she waved at me to grab my camera and follow her outside. She found a praying mantis just outside the entrance to the building.
We decided to move the mantis to a better location - a nearby garden. Although the mantis probably could find plenty of food on the side of the building, it was a little conspicuous right next to the door. We figured a garden full of green plants would be a better place for its long term survival.
There are two species of mantis that can be found in Mid-Michigan - Chinese Mantis, and European Mantis. Both of these species were introduced to North America for pest control. A third species, Carolina Mantis, has been recorded in southern Michigan and appears to be expanding its range. This one is a
European Mantis (
Mantis religiosa). It can be identified by the dark spot on the inside of its upper foreleg.
This individual is a nymph. It will pass through approximately ten stages of life (instars) before it becomes an adult, molting its exoskeleton each time. I can tell this is a nymph because it lacks wings; adults of both sexes will have wings, but large females are often too heavy to fly.
Praying mantids are ambush predators. They will sit motionless in one place waiting for their prey to appear. Alternately, they may slowly stalk their prey. Prey includes insects such as bees, butterflies, flies, and some moths; other invertebrates such as spiders; even hummingbirds!
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