I was going out to my car today, when I noticed this Carolina Praying Mantis on the top of my gate post.
I’ve never seen this type of praying mantis before, so I decided to snap a photograph and check online for some information.
Praying Mantis Facts
I looked online for photographs and I think this is a Carolina Praying Mantis although I am not totally sure on this point as I’m not an insect expert.
I usually see the bright big green praying mantis insects in my yard. For some reason, the praying mantis insects always appear in one section of my yard near the front/side of my house.
I don’t use a lot of chemicals in my yard so I seem to have many types of wild life in my yard including insects.
If my insect identification is correct, this insect likes to blend into his environment. The females lay eggs in late summer to early fall. The Carolina Praying Mantis is long and slender. It can be green, brownish, or gray in color.
Invasive Species of Praying Mantis
According to the Brandywine Conservatory website, there are actually two invasive praying mantis insects in Virginia. One is the Chinese Mantis and the other is the European Mantis.
Both of the invasive species are larger than the Carolina Praying Mantis and seem to have large green bodies. The invasive mantis insects will even eat other praying mantis insects if given the chance.
Although all praying mantis insects eat harmful insects, the large invasive mantis insects will also eat butterflies and what ever they can catch.
If you look carefully at the photograph on the the left, you will see the small insect at the top of the gray gate.
This praying mantis is much smaller in size than the ones I had previously seen in my yard.
Ending Comments
I always enjoy seeing a new animal or insect in my urban yard.
Farmhouse Magic Blog loves to write on nature topics.
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