The Preying Prayer

Last night while driving home and noticed a strange, large and creepy looking critter on my back window (in my rear view mirror). My first thought was - "that is one huge garden spider." Second thought was "I hope that's on the *outside* of the window!"

When I got home I had forgotten to check what it was for about 15 minutes but when I went out to my car to see what it was - there it was! A Praying Mantis just clinging to the back window of my car.

So after a photo shoot, and getting Chris out to see it, we decided to get this thing into the garden.

Praying Mantis (Mantises? Manti?) offer an organic approach to pest control and many people unleash little Mantis "herds" into their gardens each year. They are indiscriminate creatures and will eat both beneficial as well as non-beneficial insects (including their own....cannibals!) but they are excellent hunters and I have some ridiculously freaky/huge spiders here that I'd love to know might get devoured by my new little friend.

It's a little late in the season and this is just one...but we got it onto one of our bushes and are hoping for the best!

Prey on, oh Praying Mantis!