So the heat returned to So Cal after our little storm blew through, dropping maybe 1/8" of moisture, and I was hose watering the drought-stricken rain-denied California Friendlies in the parkway and sidewalk strips when I noticed a couple of tarsi poking through the fence slats just as the stream of water hit the fence.
Crouching under the myrtus communis on the other side of the fence I was able to get a picture of this mantis, Stagmomantis californica, that had taken shelter from the hose under the fence rail. I think you can barely see a drop of hose water on her wing.
Earlier before watering I had done a bit of tree trimming and found a nice oothecum in a fork of this acacia cultriformis branch. I always save these incredibly dense-wooded branches, let them cure, and use them the following year for plant stakes and such. And in this case, hatching mantises.
2 comments:
I recalled you have a fondness for mantids and thought you might like this blog post from Hong Kong: http://hongkongkwildlifephotos.blogspot.com/2012/10/last-of-summer-insects.html
Thanks Katie. They are so cute at that age!
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