Keep your eyes open for these baby praying mantises in your yard and garden. This one was on my patio. They emerge from their egg cases May through June. This is the smallest one I’ve ever held. Just like most baby insects, it tried to chew on me because their job IS to eat. A this stage, they vacuum up small insects, such as aphids. Yay!
They grow all summer, and eat larger and larger insects, such as crickets and grasshoppers. Maybe you’ve seen one of those cringe-worthy photos of a praying mantis eating a hummingbird? Shoo them away if you see one near a feeder.
Here’s a large mantis I found in a lavender plant in August. Those extended front legs grabbed onto my finger tightly after this photo. There are little spines along the legs to help it grip its prey. I put it back quickly after that. A little bit scary.
Sometimes, they are a tan-brownish color. Difference species are different colors.
If you’re like me and grew up as a free-range child in the Gem State, you might not remember encountering a praying mantis. Large mantises were not documented in Idaho until the 1990s. They are not native to the region. The only native mantis in North American is the Carolina mantis, and it hasn’t been found in Idaho…yet.
~Debbie