Odds n Ends Vintage Photos VII
09-06-2011 | 04:41 AM
#1811
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 63,251
Likes: 3,278
From: Smalltown
Originally Posted by Kyras' timestamp='1315269568' post='20945630
Correct me if I'm wrong but praying mantises are good for the garden eating other insects but grasshoppers are bad and eat plants, right?
Yes, praying mantis' eat bad bugs but they also eat butterflies!
Prayer mantis' are also very territorial and will kill other PMs. Grasshoppers chew on plants and are not a good bug but I've never bothered with them since they rarely do a lot of damage.
I haven't seen many butterflies this season. Maybe that's the reason?
09-06-2011 | 06:04 AM
#1813
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 22,581
Likes: 834
From: The (S)Low Country
Originally Posted by Kyras' timestamp='1315269568' post='20945630
Correct me if I'm wrong but praying mantises are good for the garden eating other insects but grasshoppers are bad and eat plants, right?
Yes, praying mantis' eat bad bugs but they also eat butterflies!
Prayer mantis' are also very territorial and will kill other PMs. Grasshoppers chew on plants and are not a good bug but I've never bothered with them since they rarely do a lot of damage. I seriously doubt the butterfly population has been decreased by any measurable amount by the praying mantis. I've seen a number of them this year as well as a lot of butterflies. We seem to have more of the tiger striped butterflies and sulphurs than anything else. I would suspect the butterfly population is decreasing more because of the spraying to kill caterpillars than anything else.
09-06-2011 | 05:08 PM
#1815
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 43,455
Likes: 3,667
From: Loveland, CO
I moved some potted plants today so they weren't in the way of my palm tree trimmers and the pot of plumarias had a little praying mantis on it.
09-06-2011 | 05:34 PM
#1816
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 63,251
Likes: 3,278
From: Smalltown
Originally Posted by Lainey' timestamp='1315315507' post='20946770
Thanks for the info, Val.
I can't remember the last time I saw a mantis in the yard. He was such a cooperative subject as I was almost in his face taking pics.
I can't remember the last time I saw a mantis in the yard. He was such a cooperative subject as I was almost in his face taking pics.
?
09-06-2011 | 05:36 PM
#1817
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 63,251
Likes: 3,278
From: Smalltown
Originally Posted by Lainey' timestamp='1315315507' post='20946770
...He was such a cooperative subject as I was almost in his face taking pics.
And the females can fly as well. When we lived in K.C. MO, my young son and I would watch Praying Mantis eat other bugs. It's weird the way they turns their heads and "chew." I guess they basically use their eyesight to hunt.
I can imagine your (or anyone's) reaction if the thing would strike out at you while taking close-up
. 
09-06-2011 | 05:53 PM
#1818
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 43,455
Likes: 3,667
From: Loveland, CO
Originally Posted by Kyras' timestamp='1315354106' post='20948977
[quote name='Lainey' timestamp='1315315507' post='20946770']
Thanks for the info, Val.
I can't remember the last time I saw a mantis in the yard. He was such a cooperative subject as I was almost in his face taking pics.
Thanks for the info, Val.
I can't remember the last time I saw a mantis in the yard. He was such a cooperative subject as I was almost in his face taking pics.
?[/quote]
Your photos were so good I didn't feel the need. Besides, my mantis was small.
! Matt and I saw these on Kauai. Very strange looking. Do you eat the bananas?
09-06-2011 | 07:18 PM
#1820
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 63,251
Likes: 3,278
From: Smalltown
Originally Posted by Lainey' timestamp='1315355670' post='20949046
[quote name='Kyras' timestamp='1315354106' post='20948977']
[quote name='Lainey' timestamp='1315315507' post='20946770']
Thanks for the info, Val.
I can't remember the last time I saw a mantis in the yard. He was such a cooperative subject as I was almost in his face taking pics.
[quote name='Lainey' timestamp='1315315507' post='20946770']
Thanks for the info, Val.
I can't remember the last time I saw a mantis in the yard. He was such a cooperative subject as I was almost in his face taking pics.
?[/quote]
Your photos were so good I didn't feel the need. Besides, my mantis was small.
[/quote]
Thanks, but I'd bet you would have caught a cool pic as well, even if your mantis was small.