OT - Our new addition

[fantasticsound]

Yesterday a co-worker alerted me to a Praying (Preying?) Mantis in our parking lot. Lilly loves bugs.. just about any bugs, so I wanted to bring it home for her to see.

 

When I arrived in the parking lot I was a bit shocked. The body alone was 4 inches long. Its' body was green with gray-brown wings, back, head and eyes. (I discovered later that their eyes change color. They can perfectly match the head and wings or turn deep black.)

 

It was moving forward by shaking lengthwise and taking steps every other shimmy and shake. I understand this is how they move on tree branches to appear to be a twig or leaf moving in the breeze, but it's a piss-poor way to hide on blacktop.

 

My intention was to free it after Lilly had a chance to see it. Things change.

 

When I arrived home with a CD spindle case containing the mantis, we let it out in our bedroom, away from our cats. It began examining me. I mean, no matter where we set it down, the mantis kept crawling over to me, even flying occasionally to get to me.

 

The neatest part was watching it's head twist and turn to find me. This insect is downright entertaining.

 

Lilly likes it, too.

 

http://img58.exs.cx/img58/9959/LillySmileAngel640x480.jpg

 

Say hello to Angel! (Lilly named "her".)

 

http://img65.exs.cx/img65/7945/Angelbedcrop640x480.jpg

 

We had an extra terrarium, so I bought a few crickets and Angel set to eating one almost immediately. Man, nature can be brutal. Angel picked up that cricket and ate it like someone with an ear of corn. Yech!

 

I brought my dogs in for the night and found (as I often do) several cave crickets, another species of cricket, and a single roach in my backyard. I put these buggies in as more food for Angel.

 

5 minutes passed before Lilly interupted my dinner with her thoughts about Angel and "Scruffy". "Scruffy", it turns out, is the name she gave the roach! Later I had to remove Scruffy because Lilly cried when she found out Angel was going to play a game with Scruffy called, "I don't hate your guts, so I guess I'll consume them."

 

(Another unfortunate victim:)

 

http://img58.exs.cx/img58/2496/AngelonShrek.jpg

 

I guess she should last a few weeks or months. The result I read from Google said they live 3 weeks beyond laying eggs. That usually happens around September or October.

[Ouizel]

Cool, Neil!

 

Neat stuff.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

That's awesome! And great photography, man. If you took those shots, you are really talented (and I work with photographers who get paid a lot).

 

Quite a few people keep praying mantids as pets. They are indeed vicious! And, as you know, they only eat live bugs. It can be gross, but I'm sure it definitely illustrates the "circle of life" concept for your little one.

 

- Jeff

[Super 8]

I'm not one who goes for bugs....but THAT is just too damn cool!

[shniggens]

It doesn't bite?

[Bunny Knutson]

Cool bug! Great photos, Neil.

[Dak Lander]

Originally posted by shniggens:

It doesn't bite?

only if you're smaller than it is.

[Hendmik]

That thing is damn cute. I bet your daughter remembers this for years to come.

[LiveMusic]

That has to be the coolest post I've ever seen on a forum.

 

I am fascinated by nature. My brother is too. Two days ago, he called me into the den where there is a glass door. On the door was a bug. He asked me if I could tell what it was. I got a magnifying glass.

 

It was crawling very slowly. It had a cache of stuff on its back, a round shape to its "false" body. First, I thought it was a spider because I thought maybe that stuff on top was babies. But no, I could see the main critter and it was no spider. The stuff on top looked like pieces of "stuff." Detritus? Just stuff. Pieces of whatever the bug came up on. We watched it examine a piece of something, lint, leaf, something very tiny on the window.

 

I still don't know what it was. But the bug, I guess, used the "armor" for camo or something.

 

I see a praying mantis around here maybe once each year but not like the one you have. Yours is much fatter. Much cooler. Like an alien.

 

Your daughter's pic will be priceless someday.

[fantasticsound]

Wow! Two weasels/ouizels in a row.

 

Thanks, Clay.

 

Thanks for the kudos on my photography, Jeff, but believe me these could have been much better. My digital snapshot camera is a PITA. It wouldn't focus on her and I had to turn off the flash which resulted in 1/2 - 1 second exposures. (Thank goodness for tripods!) I need a full manual, digital camera.

 

Then again, I managed to catch that great Halloween shot of Lilly with this camera. (We won't talk about the number of dreck pics I deleted that night.. nice thing is I could delete them and keep shooting. )

 

I'll try and get some film of her in the next week and post some sharper images.

 

Super8 - Bugs don't.. er.. bug me (pun intended). But I don't particularly like most of 'em either. Mantids are another story. I'm hooked. This mantis acts like a cat or a dog. I never knew a bug to be so interested in something it didn't intend to eat. Hmmmm....

 

schniggens - So far, no. Hasn't tried to bite once. It has tiny hooks on its' legs that allow it to climb surfaces we assume are smooth (and should be impossible to hold on to without something sticky), yet she has no trouble climbing our painted drywall or most plastics. The hooks tickle, and occasionally feel like needles, but they don't really dig in like, say, a cat's claw.

[fantasticsound]

Thanks guys!

 

Duke - That sounds really interesting. I think the "thinner" mantids you've seen may be walking sticks. I don't know how they're related to this one, but they move along branches the same way as Angel was walking on the parking lot.

 

Dak- Your avatar pic probably resembles schniggens' reaction to your response.

 

Bunny, Hendmik - I never thought I'd be thanking someone for telling me, "Cool bug!" I hope Lilly continues to love bugs as much as she does now. She seems to marvel at every aspect of Ladybugs, Lightning bugs, Butterflies, scarabs (the live ones, not the Egyptian jewelry. ), even roaches, June bugs, and others. I'm apparently raising a budding entymologist.

[Lee Flier]

That's awesome Neil! Killer pics. Yeah, bugs can be way cool, glad Lilly is learning about them. The tarantula I had when I was a kid acted very much like a cat, so I'm not surprised the mantis does. Too cool!

 

Zeus, a bandmate of mine (in my second band Orange Hat), has an amazing garden and he takes awesome pictures in it, including some of the many bugs that frequent the place. I'll try and post some here if you're interested, Lilly would love them.

[ani]

Neil,

 

That's a BIG guy... how cool!!!

 

My son, 14, came toting a baby mantis in about a week ago. He made a big fuss about buying a terrarium, so I let him pick up a cheap one for $10 to keep the little guy in.

 

The one Stephen caught is only about an inch long, but it will take on a rolly polly or a cricket with no hesitation.

[flyscots]

Neil, that is very cool. Great stories and great pictures. I hope you keep the one with Lilly forever.

 

Bunny: Remember I told you about the 'alien' that landed on Jess' leg in the car? You said it was a praying mantis but I disagreed from the pics we found. Now, looking at these pictures and those eyes, it has to have been one of these, good call!

-------------------------------------------------

Warning: flyscots' US tour 2003 story approaching

 

We had stayed at the Grand Canyon to watch the sunset - incredible, I couldn't believe the way the air in the canyon turned blue as the sun went down and how quickly the temperature dropped.

http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/3f8c5f4c_137c5/bc/a8fd/__sr_/9b8d.jpg?phBfWGBBoC1quDyY

 

Anyway, as I was driving I felt something fall on my neck. I didn't know what it was but I could tell it was big and had lots of legs. I batted it down but I had shorts on and I could feel it on my legs. I pulled over as quickly and as safely as I could with Jess screaming "what is it what is it." I got out of the car and couldn't see anything. I got the flashlight but still found nothing, so I put on some long trousers and long sleeves, as did Jess. You may laugh but this is Arizona, I have no idea what insects can do to you down there. I'm from Scotland where they do no more harm than to annoy you. I had to play it safe.

 

We got back in the car and continued driving, but not for long. Right at the bottom of the windscreen, there it was. It was too dark to tell what it was, but it was too big for my liking. I told Jess not to look because I knew she'd panic. I pulled over again and put on the camping gloves and finally got it out of the car. Ordeal over. I still have no idea what it was.

 

The next day we left Flagstaff for Las Vegas, the pair of us absolutely buzzing after a great night and with the anticipation of crazy Vegas up ahead. We were driving along Route 66 when I noticed there was a Ferrari approaching behind us. Jess had never seen one before so I told her to watch when it inevitably passed us. A few minutes later, sure enough, the Ferrari pulled out to overtake.

 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" comes the deafening shriek from Jess.

"What, what's up? What's wrong?” I ask as I try to figure out what the Ferrari is doing wrong - there's no oncoming traffic, it's nowhere near us, no risk of crashing or anything.

 

"WHAT THE PHUK IS THAT ON MY LEG" screams my distressed passenger.

 

I looked over to see the weirdest, brightest, greenest, possibly biggest and darn right cutest insect I'd ever seen! I could clearly see it's face, it was looking right at Jess's face as if to say "what's the problem? calm down"

 

I laughed, I couldn't help myself after going through something similar the night before. Our little friend heard me and turned its head to look me right in the eyes. How do they know to look at your face like that? Anyway, I pulled over, again as quickly and safely as I could. Jess jumped out of the car, by this time only dogs and maybe Geoff Emerick would be able to hear the noises she was making. Little did we know that our friend was harmless to humans. The little 'alien,' as I called it, hung on - she couldn't get him off.

 

Eventually she did though and she relaxed back in the car (with the windows shut and the air conditioning on!) as we continued on to the Hoover Dam and the madness of Las Vegas...

--------------------------------------------------

 

Hope you enjoyed that. Neil, sorry for eating up a huge portion of your thread! I hope your little alien brings you as much laughter as ours did, but without the screams!

 

John Scotsman

[LiveMusic]

John, cool. It saddens me to think how many people would kill a wonderful bug like that. People think I'm nuts because I put most bugs outside rather than kill them. Today, I was walking the dog and stopped to move a WORM from the street to the grass. A lady jogger thought I was crazy. But an ant had him and soon, a swarm would've killed him. Very slowly. Yep, nature is cruel. I saved a life.

 

I can't believe a mantis will come over like a dog

[DanS]

Keep your eye on her man.

She'll bite your head off!!!

[LiveMusic]

Originally posted by DanS:

Keep your eye on her man.

She'll bite your head off!!!

That's funny. I wrote a song I'd forgotten about! The first half of the song, the characters include a praying mantis. Which eats her husband.

[flyscots]

Thanks Duke, hey did that Grand Canyon pic link OK? I've had troubles linking form that site before - it shows here but nowhere else for some reason.

[LiveMusic]

Originally posted by flyscots:

Thanks Duke, hey did that Grand Canyon pic link OK? I've had troubles linking form that site before - it shows here but nowhere else for some reason.

yep. I navigated to the coyote. It's cool you got to see one.

 

Every year, in the fall, I can tell the autumn is approaching, as I will start seeing coyotes on a four mile straight stretch of road near my home, out in the "woods." And I know there will soon be dead ones. Sure enough, it always happens. They are young ones and do not know 60mph cars. If I see one on that stretch, I'll see him dead within days.

[Phait]

I wouldn't go near it. I hate all bugs.

[ani]

hi i'm amanda ani's daughter she finally let me talk. i'm 12 and i'm going to 7th grade. i caught a mantis the other day but my brother claimed it . his name is manny. he ate a moth the other day it was really gross. speaking of bugs i have a new cat hes about 4 months old now and hes the biggest bug i've ever seen. hes funny but hardly graceful he runs into doors constantly and my guitar i'm not sure but i think he likes the ring it makes after he hits it. he cliimbs the curtins constantly. oh yeah his name is boots. boots likes to wake us up in the middle of the night by biting our noses, and i had 2 retype this whole message because he layed on the keyboard and the program closed out. but other than that hes really lovable .we dont know what we would do without him or rusty. rusty is a smart cat and kind of prissy but a very good cat. i play guitar i haven't been able 2 take lessons lately though. my guitar teacher is tedster, hi ted. i also play violin and piano and i'm taking chior this year in school. well i'm amanda (mandy) and i'm welcoming replys O.k. bye

[LiveMusic]

Originally posted by Ani:

i caught a mantis the other day but my brother claimed it . his name is manny. he ate a moth the other day it was really gross.

I'd be grossed out, too, if my brother ate a moth. What a creep he must be. Tell your brother Manny that he doesn't have to be so silly to eat bugs. Some guys... they just love attention.

 

Now, go practice that guitar, I just did.

[ani]

i need 2 buy a guitar tuner first its way out of tune. manny is the bug stephen is the brother but it wouldn't surprise me if he ate one.

[zeronyne]

Great pics...we have them all over our garden. I'm trying to spot a mating pair to see if the male will get away or lose his head. (Sort of like marriage, but much much quicker )

 

By the way, does anyone recall who sang the song with the line "I fell like a praying mantis..."? It was a hit about 5-7 years ago.

[Slowly]

Originally posted by Ani:

hi i'm amanda ani's daughter she finally let me talk. i'm 12 and i'm going to 7th grade. i caught a mantis the other day but my brother claimed it . his name is manny. he ate a moth the other day it was really gross. speaking of bugs i have a new cat hes about 4 months old now and hes the biggest bug i've ever seen. hes funny but hardly graceful he runs into doors constantly and my guitar i'm not sure but i think he likes the ring it makes after he hits it. he cliimbs the curtins constantly. oh yeah his name is boots. boots likes to wake us up in the middle of the night by biting our noses, and i had 2 retype this whole message because he layed on the keyboard and the program closed out. but other than that hes really lovable .we dont know what we would do without him or rusty. rusty is a smart cat and kind of prissy but a very good cat. i play guitar i haven't been able 2 take lessons lately though. my guitar teacher is tedster, hi ted. i also play violin and piano and i'm taking chior this year in school. well i'm amanda (mandy) and i'm welcoming replys O.k. bye

Hi Amanda. I don't like bugs, but I love cats, and would like to see a picture of Rusty. Thanks for sharing that story with us, it was funny. Kcbass

P.S. You are almost as articulate as your Mom.

[YourMotherShouldKnow]

Originally posted by fantasticsound:

 

http://img58.exs.cx/img58/9959/LillySmileAngel640x480.jpg

 

Say hello to Angel! (Lilly named "her".)

 

Georgette prattled. A bird sings, a child prattles. But it is the same hymn,- hymn inarticulate, indistinct, but full of profound meaning. The child, unlike the bird, has the sombre destiny of humanity before it; this thought saddens any man who listens to the joyous song of a child.

 

Victor Hugo, Ninety-Three

 

That girl is precious Neil! Enjoy your time with her and the preying mantii (?).

[ani]

This is Anita again....

 

Pictures of the Moth eating Monster that Amanda was referring to...

 

http://musicbizbuzz.net/art/littlebit.jpghttp://musicbizbuzz.net/art/rusty-bit.jpg

http://musicbizbuzz.net/art/rusty-boots.jpghttp://musicbizbuzz.net/art/bit.jpg

 

As you can see; he's a real killer.

[Botch.]

Originally posted by LiveMusic:

But an ant had him and soon, a swarm would've killed him. Very slowly. Yep, nature is cruel. I saved a life.

You saved a worm's life, but you starved an entire ant colony. You cruel monster!

[fantasticsound]

You know, I posted this because I was so taken... with a bug!?! I didn't realize this would strike such a wonderful chord.

 

John Scotsman - No problem rehashing your road story. I'd forgotten all about that!

 

Amanda - My cats take care of the cave crickets and others that seem to think the house is a good place to live. (Not!) I can always tell when they have one because of the meows. Simon wants me to see what he's playing with. Hobbes growls at any other cat that comes near her when she's caught something. With 6 cats, that's a lot of growling. I'll bet your brother lets you hold it now and then.

 

Lee - I'd like very much to share your friend's garden pics with Lilly. Just let me know where to find them.

 

Now for the sad news..

 

There won't be any more Angel pics.

 

My wife decided to let her get some fresh air yesterday. Denise, Lilly and Angel sat on the front porch waiting for my arrival home. As I walked up to them, I saw Angel on Lilly's head. Denise assured me they'd been outside for 10 - 15 minutes and Angel hadn't tried to escape. I put my hand out and Angel immediately began reaching for me. She climbed to the top of my head and stood there about a minute...

 

Then she decided to fly.

 

In all the time I'd had her, she hadn't flown but a few inches. Now she spread her wings and slowly rose out of my reach, over the top of my house and away.

 

I only wish the story ended with her disappearing into the trees. I'm afraid Angel isn't the only wild animal who re-taught me how brutal nature can be.

 

As she flew between my home and the next one, a bird came out of nowhere and in a tiny fraction of a second she was gone.

 

Lilly cried her eyes out for 5 or 10 minutes. I couldn't believe I let this happen. My normal reaction would've been to tell Denise to put Angel back in the terrarium right away. Instead, I lulled myself into a state of false security. All that was left was a pit in my stomach. It replays in slow motion, over and over in my head, as though one of these times I might take her inside right away or catch her before she gets out of reach. Even knock her down with a stick. But, of course, it never happens.

 

On the other hand, it seems almost comical to have had a bug for a day and a half and be as affected about its' demise as we are. Life is strange. (Death, too.)

 

I'm glad everyone here took such an interest in this bug.. Especially since, if you're like me, you spend a sizable portion of time dedicated to bugs treating them as pests that should be eradicated from our homes, etc. I won't be allowing roaches to stake a claim to my home, but I'm glad to connect with some bugs. (I guess that's no different than wanting the company of some people.

 

Anyway, thanks for playing, guys and gals.

[Botch.]

That's sad, Neil, and I really feel for Lilly. Didn't this just happen awhile back in the news somewhere, some animal was rehabilitated, released back into nature during a press conference, and attacked/eaten by something else right in view of everyone? It'll probably come to me...