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Critter ~ In Carol's Garden

Among the garden’s most elegant vines, Mandevilla offers stunning trumpet shape flowers in shades of pink, white, or red. I like the bright red best of all. It’s the perfect plant for creating a tropical look. Mandevilla is usually grown as an annual, though it can be overwintered indoors in a bright spot. I put mine in the garage over the winter and it usually survives and comes back for the spring.

I was out watering my garden this morning and this Mandevilla is on my deck. I reached down to pick one of the blooms and almost picked this little green man! It is a Praying Mantis. Do you see him? They are harmless but it startled me just the same. They try to camouflouge in the flowers but I saw him.They really are cool to see.

Moths, crickets, grasshoppers, flies, and other insects are usually the unfortunate recipients of the mantis. However, the insects will also eat others of their own kind. I did not need to know that fact.

Photo ©CarolDM2018

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Written by Carol DM

45 Comments

    • They are not scary at all, they do not bite unless you sneak up on them perhaps. They either freeze when I see them or they crawl away.

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    • They are capable of biting but rarely will unless they are being hurt. I often pick them up when I see them and have never been bitten. That’s partly because I don’t actually pick them up as in plucking them off a leaf. I hold one hand down and shoo them onto my hand with the other hand.

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  1. Yes, brown, and sometimes they kind of resemble walking sticks. I was surprised to learn that the praying mantis is protected under the law as an exotic species so that in some places it is illegal to keep one as a pet.

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  2. They may look like they are praying, but they are actually preying, then? Their camouflage color is such a pretty green. Yes, I have seen many of these, but none lately. Thanks much for sharing!

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  3. They may look like they are praying, but they are actually preying, then? Their camouflage color is such a pretty green. Yes, I have seen many of these, but none lately. Thanks much for sharing!.

    1