Cosmos

Catching the early sunshine.

Mantis Report   Much to my surprise the very plump female I blipped yesterday was quite slim this morning! Either she had built an ootheca or she had been constipated. I spent a lot of time searching among the dead grape leaves, trying not to disturb the three mantises in the vicinity. At last, late this afternoon I found an ootheca hidden under the greenhouse rail close to where she was late yesterday. The ootheca is messy, which is not unusual for late ones, and it has the white foam topping seen on fresh ones. However, I can’t be certain that it is a fresh one, or if the rescued mantis built it. I might have to wait for 6-7 months to find out. It would explain why she was so hostile to the male yesterday.

See extra shot of her makeover, though by the time I got a decent shot of her she had eaten at least two flies- there’s a fly’s wing tucked under her front leg. Inset is the ootheca, on a bigger scale than the main photo.