New friend? Mantis
Is this guy looking for the hornworms too??
Comments
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It could if the horn worms are small enough. They eat all kinds of soft bodied things.
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You are so lucky. I think they are the coolest bug. They aren't native here. I would live to have one as a pet at the very least. If I had a year round greenhouse, I'd order a pack...and I'd be very happy. 😁
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One Christmas, I took a thingy from the Christmas tree after a week or so of it being in the house and put it in a jar. We didn't know what it was. After another week or so, I thought we might as well put a top on the jar. Well, 24 hours later we peeked at the jar and there were what seemed like hundreds of tiny praying mantis babies. Oh my! It was their egg case and boy were we lucky to have put the lid on just in time. Many be the lid caused them to spring forth? We never new, but now we always search the trees for the cases just in case.
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Why are some praying mantis green and some are brown?
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Hi again @Nancy Carter. Parasitc wasps, Praying Mantis, so cool. How about ladybugs? Do you have them in your garden as well? They are another wonderful garden species of bugs.
I can't tel lyou why there are different colors to the Mantis. Hopefully someone who knows will chime in with an answer.
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@tomandcara funny you should ask about a lady bug...my daughter found one last night on her shirt in the dining room! Oh and I noticed a bat flying around last night too!!
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Ladybugs are so fun!
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@Nancy Carter I think green & brown are different types. Did you know that there is a white one too? Those look very pretty. Not all of them have the stereotypical shape either.
@COWLOVINGIRL The ladybugs can be even more fun. Some might disagree.
There is an Asian ladybug that some people insist bite. We have never had them bite here. They also do not feed on the wood of your house over winter (a common myth).
You can learn more about Asian type here:
Ladybugs come in many colors besides red: like pink, yellow, white, orange and black. We have seen a few varieties here, including the 6 spotted, Asian, and some brown/black ones. I think we have seen a type with 2 spots.
The older a ladybug gets, the more pale they become. They will lose their spots.
This was my oldest daughter's passion...insects (and a few other interests), but she was especially fond of these. We have ID'd many insects over the years because of this interest.
This site is a great one to learn specifically about ladybugs. 😄
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fun!
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We get praying mantis pretty frequently in our neck of the woods in Pennsylvania. They are cool and remind me of some kind of alien bug, lol!
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How about a Flower Mantis? Would love to have this little girl show up in my yard.
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@RustBeltCowgirl Wow! That praying mantis is beautiful. I’ve never seen one before. God’s amazing creativity.
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Oooh, he's cool!
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@Nancy Carter Bats!!! Your garden is so full of balanced predators. How wonderful.
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@RustBeltCowgirl flower mantis is a beauty
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He is having lunch! Oh my the circle of life!
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Praying mantises are awesome. Last fall I was able to get two to crawl in my hand at the same time! I also saved an unrelated one from being step on at my college on one of the main paths for students. When I was in middle school I found one with its head missing (I am assuming it was a male). It was disturbing but that is the circle of life.
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Here's another pretty. This is an orchid mantis.
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We've had a real influx of ladybugs this year -- I keep seeing them all over the place, including in the house, and it seems like more than usual. I wonder what conditions might contribute to an increase in population?
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@Merin Porter You might want to check out the ladybug link that I posted above. It might have an answer for you.
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@Merin Porter Ladybugs in the house is usually Asian ladybugs coming in to hibernate for winter. Apparently they will gather together on the wall up in a ceiling corner to wait for warm weather again.
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Oh wow!
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Awesome! I just re-housed two into my garden area. I spot them every once in a while. They definitely have kept my cabbage looking great.
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What about dragonflies...anyone see many this year?
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All the time. We have them at the barn and they flit around the retainment pond. Also, they are by our ditch separating out yard from the farm field behind us.
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@Nancy Carter last year was a "bumper crop" for the dragonflies where we live. It was great to walk in the park and see dozens and dozens flying through the air. Some this year, but not so many.
The circle of life is a wondrous thing
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We’ve had loads this year! My daughter just rescued this one from the kiddie pool.
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@RustBeltCowgirl OMG I've never seen an orchid mantis. It's so beautiful! I thought it was part of the flower at first. Amazing!
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