The praying mantis is one of my most favorite insects. I found a very young mantis in my driveway earlier this year and very carefully transferred it to my garden.
I can't say if this is the same one, but I like to think that it is :)
So I called my Jaybird to tell him about my find, and he said, "Oh yeah! There's a mantis egg sac on one of our blueberry bushes!"
Well! How's that for Christmas in September? I'm not really sure if the egg sac, or "ootheca" has already hatched or is ready to overwinter for hatching next spring when the weather turns warm again, but either way, I'm thrilled! Mantids are voracious predators of harmful garden insects, and let's just face it; they're positively fascinating in every conceivable way!
