Got home this evening after work and pulled back the curtains from my bedroom window. I was checking a dish on my window-sill, in it was pixified herb left to dry out.

Beside the dish, up against the window sat a praying mantis.

"Hello!" I cooed to the mantis as I plucked her from beside the dish. I turned, and with her held gently between thumb and forefinger walked out of my room, intending to deposit her outside. After a few steps I stopped dead.

"Whooaaaa..." was the only drawn out syllable I could make as the significance of the find hit home.

Well, when I had realised where she was sitting and who she was I couldn't very well just chuck her outside, so now she's become a pet. I'm not sure how long she'll stay but I welcomed her into my life this evening by providing her with some live houseflies. She's voracious and quickly devoured 5 flies and a flying ant.

I had hoped the big meal might have pacified her somewhat to allow me to handle her and photograph her. But alas, she was wild and skittish as a mountain mare and she kicked and bit at me with surprising ferocity.

Now to get her a better home than the jar she currently sits in.

M

I can't believe I read the whole thing

sweet!!! get a pick of our girl and post it a.s.a.p.

if it's a good enough pic, i would send a copy to Traveler as well....maybe he can do a sweet thing with it for the Nexus homepage or something....
as one who has personally communicated with Mantid-like entities, i have a more-than-love for the very image of the Mantis. have you named her yet?.....something "spicey"?


LOVE AND GRATITUDE!!

Reckon she'd be a lot happier set free I have heard Mantis' can be rather tricky to care for as pets.

I thought this was a DMT forum. If you're unaware of the significance of a mantis sitting in a dish of spice then this post was never meant for you! I think Strassman's "The Spirit Molecule" might be a good place to start if you're after an explanation.

She's still doing fine but I think I might release her soon as I'm running out of animals to feed her.

Will try and get a pic but she's a surly mistress and I don't have an awesome macro lens.

Would dearly love to see one of those wise and beautiful creatures in the flesh.

Some wonderful Mantis and other insect macros here:

http://photo.net/photos/siwanowicz

wow! those are some great pix 11:11.

Thanks for that link 11:11, very nice gallery.
Did you notice that first pic 'Ceci nést pas un trip', haha!