Tiny things #2

Continuing with my "tiny things" posts, this is the photo I received from my wife when I was out of town the other day:

Of course the mantis babies hatched three weeks early, right? Everything else in the garden has been early this year, so why not them? I was disappointed that I missed the event, as I enjoy releasing the little boys and girls all around the garden. Knowing exactly where each of them was given their freedom lets me return every week or so to see if I can find them and check on their progress.

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If you remember, these are the two egg cases that I found on my vine pergola and in my fireplace. They were put into a jar in the refrigerator for the winter, then taken out a month or two ago. They sit there on the kitchen counter just long enough that we almost forget about them.

Then one day, usually in the first couple of weeks of June, we wake up to a swarm of tiny mantises in the jar.

Sometimes we get to watch the emergence, and I recorded that one year -- I'll have to dig up that video and post it. It's pretty fascinating.

These are one of my favorite baby insects, because as juveniles they already have their final adult form, but in miniature. Well, except for wings. So not final, but close.

There seem to always be a few late hatchers, so it's important to keep the lid on the jar for a few more days after the main event. I was hoping that would be the case again this year, and it was! So I got the chance to take some photos.

There were three latecomers, but I really only photographed one of them. The second climbed around on the kitchen chair and the third stayed in the jar. I was glad they weren't too willing to run -- the first of these to hatch (in the main swarm) are much more eager to disperse. One year we left the jar open and spent much of the rest of the morning trying to get mantis babies off the ceiling.

They look so much more comfortable outdoors, don't they?

I like the way their pupils (?) dilate in low light. The black eyes make them look much meaner somehow.

How mean can you look when you're at most 1/4" (6 mm) long though?


I'm glad I got a chance to see a few of these tiny mantises this year, and will be keeping an eye on them in the garden over the next few months... if I can find them!

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