The prime directive

The report my death was an exaggeration, said Mark Twain. This is also true for our Madam Mantis.
Just out of routine I checked the leafs of the plant, not really expecting to see anything interesting - and there she was!
A quick check on the internet revealed that those creatures apparently strip their casings up to eight times in the process in becoming an adult.
What a marvelous turn of events!
Alas, the fat spider my wife thought she killed with a good spray of Windex, was still there. And dangerously close to our little Madam - see picture (upper left corner the spider, lower right corner the Mantis).
We only needed a few nanoseconds to decide that the prime directive of Star fleet, not to interfere at all costs with indigenous life, was not applicable here.
These were special circumstances, and to avoid a similar drama as had happened this morning, my wife - who usually handles the crawlys - went outside, clipped the leaf and released the spider into the grass. This day turned out to be o.k. after all ...

A catastrophy!

She is dead. Eaten by a fat, obnoxious spider. Which we promptly killed - yeah, I know, that's nature's law, eat and get eaten and all that crap. Nevertheless, here in Alabama we exact capital punishment on those who kill our family. It took no time to condemn that contemptible creature to it's rightful end.
I am really sad - this morning when I checked on her whilst the coffee was getting ready, she sat on a branch and seemed to enjoy the first rays of the sun. She even lifted her head a little bit, which she occasionally did when we stepped in her field of view.
Now, her lifeless shell twists in the wind, entangled in a spiderweb, sucked out by the now deceased critter. What a shame. This is a sad day.

Just checking ...

Right now, I am checking her out every hour or so, waiting for a good photo opportunity. What a good photo opportunity is? Monotone background, not too many leafs in the way, the critter exposed from the surroundings, holding still while I am trying to bend myself over backwards ... sometimes it works. Patience is the number one prerequisite to good photos. Add luck, and the picture will be great. This here is better than those before, showing her in the natural habitat of the plant. Still, not what I have in mind. Now that it seems clear that she will stay for good, I am thinking about upgrading my gear, to get those great shots I have in mind. How often does it happen that you only have to step outside your backyard door and an amazing example of wildlife is right there at your disposal?
I traveled to Alaska and Manitoba to shoot bears, but this is almost more adventurous and exhilarating. It is also more personal, because she chose to live in our backyard - she's family.

Home

This is where she lives.

Still there ...

That's it - we have a new family member. The Mantis was still there when I checked this morning, and this afternoon, and several times in between.
The photo shows her at the window, in front of which the plants she lives in are situated. I have to admit that I unfortunately chased her there - my photographic equipment is not geared towards close encounters with tiny insects, so I have to get really close to get a good shot. This was too close, I'm afraid. Well, I am still learning how to do this ...

What is that??!

My wife is a agricultural engineer. She is also a masterful gardener. That means, not only has she a great knowledge of all things that grow out there, she also possesses a special sense for critters that can possibly harm her crops, flowers, bushes, and trees.
I, on the other hand, chose not to look too closely when something odd appears in the corner of my eye, sitting on a leaf, or on a branch.
We have an American vetch plant on a table outside of one of the living room windows. It has reached a good height already, and my wife really likes this view of a green plant in front of the window. Me, I am mostly oblivious to such things - it's a green plant, pretty, yes honey, I don't have to do anything with it, you will water it, very good.

So, on late afternoon today, I was standing at the window, looking at our backyard, when she passed by and her eye caught something out of the ordinary. "What is this?" - well, it had more than four legs, so I really wasn't that much interested in finding out. There was a window between it and me, and that was all I needed to know about it for now.
"That looks like a Praying Mantis", she said, "but do they live here? I always thought they were living in tropical regions".
Well, Alabama will probably not get mistaken for the North Pole anytime soon - I would describe the climate here as at least sub-tropical in the summer.
But a praying mantis? Here? In our backyard? Could it be?
It could. There are actually three different types of praying mantises native to the Southern USA - out of a total of over 2300 types world wide.
Our specimen probably is a Carolina Mantis, and judging by her size, a freshly hatched nymph.
The picture was made in the day's twilight, with a high ISO setting - and with shaky hands, because I was so nervous not to disturb her and to chase her away, yet to get close enough to get a good picture.
Well, it is recognizable, I guess - it is a Mantis.