Mantids seem to be an insect that everyone likes to see. Even though their function in life is basically the same as a spider, most people don’t have a phobia about them like they do arachnids. They have a unique look with their prayer-like forelegs that gives them the ever popular name praying mantis. This unique insect also has the ability to turn its head – a characteristic not found on other insects. These bugs have a single ear located on their thorax that helps them avoid birds and other predators but it doesn’t develop until they mature into adulthood.
They will eat just about anything they can catch and can stay very still just waiting to ambush their prey. If there is a lack of food the praying mantis will even dine on each other and the female often does eat the male after mating. This bug becomes most common in the high desert around mid August and can often be found on the side of our houses near a light source at night, hunting insects. Supplied are a couple of pictures, the first one is a picture of a praying mantis camouflaged on a pomegranate it was taken by my daughter Skylar at age 6 and the other is of their egg case. We often seen this egg case stuck to the side of the house like the one shown here.
