Praying Mantis(Mantid religiosa)
Mantids are not native of course, but they do turn up occasionally on the Two Hundred Acre Wood. When they do, I never to fail marvel at their color and elegant physique. Yesterday, I suddenly remembered having one as a pet when I was seven years old.
This male (I think it was a male from its robust movement in the air) zoomed over my shoulder in splendid swooping silvery green flight, then perched in a small hazelnut tree nearby. Although the late summer wind was vigorous and buffeting everything it could reach, the mantis stayed on its leaf for some time, and not even Spencer's exuberant dancing through the shrubbery below seemed to bother him.
Pardon the photos, but there was a LOT of wind, and I could get no closer - there was a wicked thicket of blackberry canes between myself and the bug. It was hot and humid, but we just had to be out of the village for a while and out in the wildnesses.
5 comments:
Beautiful-- you are always giving me a challenge of capturing different photos. Thank you..
I think the photos are impressive.
Don't apologize for the photos, they're lovely =)
That you managed to get such a good focus and field of depth in spite of the wind only makes them more impressive.
These are wonderful shots, no apologies needed.
My gosh, what photos! It is almost like there is no camera - just you and the mantis side by side. Whew!
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