Hide & Seek

It has been many, many weeks since our praying mantises hatched and were set free.  And it has been equally as long since we have seen evidence of them around the yard or in the corn field.  That is until today! 

After looking in on the corn field and discovering one stalk (Bloody Butcher's) had fallen down because of the stormy weather we had, we had decided to play some basketball.  So we went to our outside toy box to discover a single praying mantise was standing there, almost like he was watching us.  Next to him, we think, was his dinner, a hairy spider about the size of a nickle; he looked like he had already been "dined" on.  Ewwwwwwwwww!

We needed to get into the toy box so we could get our basketball out and did not want to hurt the praying mantise, so we got a stick and gently moved him over to a nearby bush.  (We think he was done munching on the spider.)  Mom suggested we move him to the corn field, but if our ladybugs ever arrive, we don't want him munching on them.  We think he'll be happy in the bush.

If he is one of our babies, then he has grown about three inches.  He's hard to see in the bush, but finally the camera was able to focus on him.  We think he's cool!