New research documents that mantises worldwide are eating small birds; in the US, invasive mantis species are devouring hummingbirds. If the headline weren’t startling enough, the photos are even worse. There is an order to predators and prey that feels normal – like, birds eat insects. And when the script it flipped it can feel […]
Tag: mantis
A gallery of Chobe’s feathers
In this post I have chosen to let the images talk for themselves rather than tell stories. This post is a gallery and hope fully the images are enough. This gallery shows you the wonderful variety of birdlife you can see along the Chobe river. As I have mentioned in earlier posts on this trip, […]
Biologists Surprised by Acrobatic Skills of Juvenile Praying Mantises
A new study published in the journal Current Biology reveals that, unlike other jumping insects, wingless baby mantises don’t spin out of control when airborne. In fact, they both create and control angular momentum at extraordinary speeds to orient their bodies for precise landings. The smaller you are, the harder it is not to spin […]
In Search of a Map
Her eyes scan the new landscape in search of a map a flower’s cosmology ready for misadventures. Chinese Praying Mantis | Tenodera aridifolia sinensis
Mirror-Image
A newborn mantis dreams her mirror-image, their glowing fates sealed by the gods – Chinese mantis – Tenodera aridifolia sinensis
Tethered Demon
A demon rises from the remains of the day, frustrated young assassin tethered to my garden – Chinese mantis | Tenodera aridifolia sinensis
Silent Straightjacket
No defenses against her tricks, she leads the quietest of lives, enchanting you with her silent straightjacket. • Chinese mantis | Tenodera aridifolia sinensis