Year of the Mantis.

'The mantis comes to us when we need peace, quiet and calm in our lives. Usually the mantis makes an appearance when we've flooded our lives with so much business, activity, or chaos that we can no longer hear the still small voice within us because of the external din we've created.' from http://www.whats-your-sign.com/animal-symbolism-mantis.html

It is not that unusual for us to find a praying mantis.   Almost every spring we find an egg case, and occasionally are lucky enough to witness them hatching. One year we had a pair courting on the trellis on the front of the house.  This year however, the mantises have been everywhere. Almost every time my daughter goes outside she find one, or two or three.

This guy seems to have claimed this garden as his territory. i've found him a few times around the same area.

i believe this is the same one as above.  He was sitting quietly on top of a Rebor kale that the rain had knocked over.

i believe this is a female. She is bright green, with a pinkish thicker rounder abdomen.  The males tend to be smaller, thinner and have longer wings that extend to the end of their body.  Another way to tell is that the females have 6-7 body segments, while the males have 8.  

This one was found in a different area of the yard, and was much smaller than the others we've been finding.

We found this one on the backside of the goat field. It was hanging out on the chicken wire that is around the pear tree.

On our way out the door yesterday, we this one about to ambush the grasshopper.

We took the kids bike riding yesterday in Blacksburg and halfway into our ride my daughter found this huge female!  She has a serious knack for finding them!

Praying mantis are very beneficial for the garden, and although they look like tiny little aliens we love to find them. Although i've read that the bite, my daughter catches them and carries them around and has never been bitten. i am hoping that with all the praying mantis we've seen this year we'll find a egg case or two and get to watch them hatch in the spring.

Whatever the reason for all the mantises this year, i feel like the message they bring is much needed right now. Be still, go within and reach a place of calm.


Life is beauty in motion, but we can only appreciate it one tiny piece at a time, and only if we’re willing to find stillness within.- Lori Deshene