Nothing Doing!

  Nothing doing!  That is exactly how the Praying Mantis from yesterday felt about my offering of a free meal.  Nothing doing!  The mantis absolutely refused any handouts.  My offering would have pleased the critter except for one minor detail....it was dead.  Yep, that Praying Mantis was a little too uppity or, perhaps, had a too refined palate for dead bugs albeit a large dead bug.

  Actually, I should have known better than to go to the trouble.  A Praying Mantis is fully capable of catching its own supper and does not need my help but I just happened to have found a lovely dead horsefly and thought I would give it to my friend.  My efforts were spurned with an upturned nose!  A mantis prefers live prey.  It is the motion of a live bug that actually attracts the mantis in the first place not just hunger. Mantises do have voracious appetites, though!  They seek out the movement of a live bug and then stealthily await until the prey is within range.  Once a bug is deemed worthy and is near enough, the mantis pounces.  In just a split second, the mantis is feeding.  The prey never knew what hit it.  

  It makes me happy to see so many mantises wavering about the garden.  Their back and forth motion as they mimic a leaf in the wind, makes them quite difficult to see unless you are careful.  I have learned to search the plants for them before harvesting.  I would hate to inadvertently snip one in half!  They are wonderful insects to have about the place even if they are a bit persnickety about their meals!