Someone walked up to me today and asked if I would like to photograph an insect. I, of course, was interested; even more so when I saw it. It was about one inch long and had been sitting on the leaf for at least 30 minutes.
When I first saw the insect, I thought it was looking straight ahead. Later, when I examined the photo up close and noticed where the antenna were, I realized it was looking at me!
A friend who saw the photo told me she thought it might be a praying mantis so I looked for one on the internet. I didn’t find any with the same coloring but there isn’t much doubt that that is what it is. I read that the young mantises stay still for a long time whereas the mature ones fly away. I think that this one had its front legs held close to its body and the back part was curled up. Maybe if the last segment came down, the wings would be more obvious. Apparently mature mantises’ wings are very colorful in order to scare away predators.
Living, Learning and Letting Go 