Praying Mantis Attack!

Okay, it wasn't an attack. Nothing like it in fact but this story does have to do with insects in large numbers.

Saturday Grammy and Poppa called with big news. The praying mantis pod that they found a couple of weeks before had hatched and there were hundreds of praying mantis babies in the jar! Later on in the day we went to see the insect explosion. It was true, there were hundreds of tiny, tiny praying mantis in a jar. The pod was attached to a twig and there were plenty of the bugs hanging around on that and everywhere else in the jar. I've got to say I found the whole thing a bit too creepy. I'm not anti-bug or anything. I've never been one to scream and run at the sight of a spider, far from it. I've frequently been known to capture spiders and other bugs and then release them back outside instead of squishing or flushing them. My charity towards bugs isn't understood by most, but it makes me happy. But that said, all these little praying mantis was really giving me the heebie-jeebies.

They were passing the jar around, peering at it from all sides and taking pictures while the little fellows climbed up and down the sides of the jar and the twig. Wasn't it time to let them all go? Yes, out into the yard we went and opened the jar between two large hosta. They didn't flee immediately, but just ambled about and most of them stayed in the jar for a good time longer. Once they were out walking around on the wide flat leaves, I felt much more comfortable with them. Now they were just cute little baby bugs. I actually let one walk around my hand. They were so small you couldn't even feel them moving across your skin. There little heads, only the size of pin, would turn when something moved behind them.

We caught a dozen of them back into cup and brought them home for our own flower garden. I hope I see one again once they are all grown up!