M&M's

Mantis & Marigolds

Excellent banner Cal!

Absolutely superb banner! You focused on the mantis so well, though the bright colors of the marigold in the back can still be seen so well.

Great banner Cal!

Slightly scary, too. On the hunt....

This is Technicolor in action. Great banner!

Love it!

Gorgeous! Always love a dramatic bug! Beautiful composition!

Thank you all my friends.
And thanks to Leon for getting me to grow marigolds.
I didn't know there were so many types & colors.....some bushy, some 4ft tall.

I found the mantis (luckily!) when I was cutting back a tomato plant last month.
Thankfully she wasn't injured. I tried putting her on various plants, and
she staid a few days.

Then found another (usually only find one per year) on a ladder I had left out when
installing new light bulbs at the front door....she appeared very malnourished.....flat tummy.
So we put her in a little terrarium in the kitchen, and have been feeding her meal worms,
and spritzing the inside of glass with water for her.
Now she has a nice full tummy.

Not sure if we should keep her inside, or put her in the garden. It's late in the year, and
want her to lay her eggs/case. Does anyone have experience with mantises?

Cal,your marigolds are so beautiful. I have a pattern for the Walking Stick in my embroidery paraphernalia. I just love stitching them and it's always a real treasure to find them in the garden. Thank you for such a lovely banner.

Does anyone have experience with mantises?

There is a thread on this forum about mantis.

Another outstanding insect-themed banner, Cal, with auxiliary photo supplements. I admire your ingenuity in fattening up your mantis. They're an uncommon sight for me - maybe one every 5-10 years! That makes this banner especially appealing.

I found this terse message on the terrarium this morning.
She's having "breakfast" right now.

Thanks everyone!
Happy Holidays!

Cal ~ Lovely banner! Great shot of the mantis!

Cal, what did you feed her?
If she has mated, she will lay an ootheca — a rigid egg case containing her eggs — on a branch or fencepost or something sturdy. Then she will die. Her babies will hatch in the spring. I'm not sure about the timing of the cycle in your warm climate.

Here's our mantis thread
https://garden.org/thread/go/1...

Egg cases



Fat mama

Thanks, Zoe! I'll check out your thread asap.
We feed her meal worms that we breed.
Very easy to keep them on hand almost year-round.
Just a tray with 1" of bran, and some sliced potatoes.
The beatles are flightless, and can't get out.

The local lizards love them, too.

@NMoasis

Your PM thread looks amazing! So many great pics.
I'll post a few, too.

PMs are wonderfully photogenic and are so cooperative about posing for pictures! We look forward to seeing your photos, Cal