A few years ago a movie named "Predator" came out
which was about an alien beast that came to the jungles
and preyed upon people for years without being discovered.
That was until Arnold Schwarzenegger and his band of army
misfits figured out what it was and how to stop it. Well I
wondered for years how people came up with the idea for
the creature that was almost invisible and the ultimate predator.
Little did I know they just went out to the local garden and
saw a mantis insect. What an incredible predator to find in my
garden the other day in the form of this Stick Mantis below.
Stick Mantis Brunneria borealis
Perfectly camouflaged to be a part of the vegetation
it stalks a small leaf hopper on the leaf in the below
picture.
Makes for an erie feeling as it looks at me when I get
just a little too close and scare off his lunch.
Back to the hunt after it decided I was too big for it to
carry off and eat. Ha Ha!
Couldn't help but take a close up of the impressive
leg armour it uses to capture and hold it's prey as it
devours anything unlucky enough to get within it's
reach. Note the barbs on the back of the legs.
Woe be unto the prey that lets this creature get too close!
"In all things of nature there is something marvelous."
Aristotle(384BC-322BC): Greek philosopher and polymath
5 comments:
That was really a close encounter. I haven't seen that long, sticklike kind but we have the usual praying mantis. Randy Emitt just posted one with also scary spines on its legs.
We have the praying Mantis, but I can't recall ever seeing one of these..Susie
Thanks Andrea, I will have to check our Randy Emitts blog. This was a first for me also. I first thought it was a walking stick but it had the head like a praying mantis. After some research I discovered it was a Stick Mantis. Learn something everyday.
Likewise Susie, we have the praying mantis and they are not uncommon, but this is a first for me. Loved your quilting poem by the way.
Great shots, Randy - I've seen a walking stick and a praying mantis (in fact my granddaughter found one for me Saturday that I was going to post ...) but I've never seen a stick mantis. till now.
Thank you Rick. I at first thought this to be a walking stick but it didn't match any I had seen before. Upon some research, I found it to be a new one for me also. I never cease to be amazed!
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