Hatchling Carolina Mantis wondering what I’m doing in its face. Here’s hoping these little guys can bring the fight to the enemy bugs in our garden!
Woah, rad! Mantises (manti? mantopedes? 🤔) are the coolest.
There are a handful of gardening sites that sell the egg cases, called ooths. I got mine from Hirt’s Gardens - needed to get a native mantis type so as not to introduce a non-native species to my area.
Got them specifically for natural pest control. Hopefully they come back next year like the sunflowers did - guess we’ll see!
Somehow, your post has made me really see them as a predator for the first time in my life, and picturing myself on the wrong end of a buffalo-sized mantis has left me terrified.
They’re always such cute little buggers, and I love finding them. Easily among my top 3 favorite insects.
One of my favorites too!
What plant is that? Love the little guy
That is actually a Sunflower! My wife has been planting them over the last 3 years or so and this year they’re upwards of 15 feet tall.
All of the neighborhood small animals are converging to eat the flowers, and the dogs are eating whatever the squirrels happen to drop.
Thanj you for the reply! I’m sure they will be gorgeous with their ruthless tiny guardians!
That really cool! Congrats! These and dragonflies are my favourite insects. Fascinating and great to photograph.
Thanks! I love them too!
Whoa! Welcome to the world, little manti!
What are going to do with them? Where do you get them?
I clicked thinking the headline sounded like something written by a low-ambition mad scientist raising a mantid army to conquer the local insect ecology. Imagine my surprise when I was right!
