All Gods Creatures - Big &
Small" - Page 5
DRAGONFLIES -
Page 1
SPIDERS - Page
2
SOME
BEETLES - Page 3
HUMMINGBIRD - Page 4
BIGGER BIRDS & OTHERS - Page
6
S-S-S-SNAKES, LIZARDS & SUCH - Page 7
GRASSHOPPERS &
KATYDIDS - Page 8
FRRRRROGS! - Page 9 LADYBUGS
ANTS
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PRAYING MANTIS
Praying mantids are large
insects, from one to four (and more) inches long, with a distinctive appearance.
They may
be GREEN,
BROWN or TAN. They feed on a variety of insects.
They grab their pray
with the raptorial front legs which can quickly shoot out and grasp a victim.
Their mouth is more grasshopper like; they eat live prey like a stalk of celery.
(see
WHERE IS MY LUNCH - HUNGRY
HUNTER
- and GREEN FAT LADY
after "Andrea's
Story")
=========================================================================
Photos below were
taken in ANDREA CONNELL backyard by both of us - Andrea & myself - and are posted here with her permission.
Thank You so much, Andrea!
Last fall (2006), she watched a fat praying mantis
waddle across her back patio, climb a post and deposit a cluster of eggs,
which is called
OOTHECA,
containing from 30 to 300 eggs in average.
On May 14th 2007 - a swarm of tiny
(about 1/4 inch) young mantis
- called NYMPHS
- hatched from the top of the egg case!
On June 23rd 2007
- They sure are growing!
On July 25th 2007
- Still growing!
WOULD YOU PET ME- PLEASE :)
On July 31st 2007
- Growing some more!
THE MANTIS
FAMILY SAGA on Andre's backyard continues:
On October 21st 2007
Andrea found one of the "babies" all grown up
and ready to lay her own eggs soon.
Here she is, visiting her old Birth Place.
The next day SHE DID MAKE HER OWN NEW OOTHECA - about 10 feet from the old
one.
They both are on the underside of the same 2x4 post.
As a reward for choosing this same yard again for rising
her New Family -
Andrea had offered her
a fly -
- and here she is happily munching on it.
Big New Mama
proudly guarding her new ootheca (lighter in color than the one she was born
in).
Thanks
again - Andrea :)
===================================================================================
The MANTIS METAMORPHOSIS is
very simple. (See "BABY MANTIS"
below). There is not a caterpillar or maggot stage.
The young go through
several NYMPHAL stages (as shown below in "IT'S TIME TO
CHANGE MY SKIN" pictures) -
in which they resemble miniature wingless adults
("YOUNG ONE in BV, CA").
Males and females can be sexed by the number of abdominal segments. Males have
eight segments, the females, six.
===================================================================================
Browns Valley 2008
IN JANUARY
2008 I FOUND NEW
OOTHECA
ON THE DORMANT POPLAR BRANCH.
IT WAS STILL THERE - AND
CLOSED - DURING MY FEBRUARY,
MARCH AND APRIL VISIT
BUT IN LATE MAY - I FOUND IT ALREADY
OPEN.
THEN IN
JULY I FOUND THIS LITTLE
NYMPH
ON THIS SAME POPLAR TREE.
===========================================================================================
Summer 2003 & 2004 -
GREEN,
TAN
& BROWN
MANTIDS
GREEN,
I FOUND ANOTHER VERY TINY & SLIM - ITSY-BITSY "BABY" MANTIS,
LESS
THAN 1/2" - ON RIPENING BLACKBERRIES - JUNE 2004
VERY SMALL, VERY YOUNG MANTIS, ABOUT
1" - CONCORD, CA
BROWN
YOUNG MANTIS - 1.5"
GREEN YOUNG ONE -
LESS THEN 2" - FIRST SEEN IN 2003
-
BROWNS VALLEY, CA
SAME ONE - AFTER 2 WEEKS:
TAN
MANTIS, ABOUT 2&1/2" -
BROWNS VALLEY, CA
WHERE IS MY LUNCH ????
YOUNG ONE
===================================================================================
Summer 2002 -
GREEN MANTIDS
IT'S TIME TO CHANGE MY SKIN |
Oooo -
THIS OLD,
UGLY DRESS!
 |
GROOMING TIME - So I can be
even more beautiful!
Look at my sharp & powerful jaws (manibles)
GREEN FAT LADY WITH A BIG MOUTH (September
2007)
HUNGRY HUNTER:
LOOK what she did to my backyard chair! (Just
kidding !!)
===================================================================================
Summer 2006 -
MORE GREEN YOUNG MANTIDS in CONCORD, CA
ADULT MANTIS: DON'T I LOOK
BEAUTIFUL? JUST LOOK AT ME!
"TRAVELER", JUST STOPPED TO REST ON TOP OF OUR GMC VAN