It’s always sad to lose a friend after a period of suffering. As an onlooker, you are subjected to a feeling of helplessness. I experienced this, albeit on a small scale, when I discovered that our beloved praying mantis was reaching the end of his life.
I found this giant praying mantis (he measured 16cm) in the garden on 5 April and subsequently saw him on a regular basis. He disappeared for a while and then returned to our garden two weeks ago.
Last Friday I found him lying upside down next to the garage. He was still alive but looked weak. We moved him to the Indigofera jacunda (River Indigo) which always teems with insects, thinking that being closer to a food source, would give him the strength to bounce back to vitality.
Sadly, he was confirmed dead 2 days later.
I’ve recently learnt more about these fascinating creatures which, in memory of our garden guest, I’ll now share with you.
This insect got its common name because of its prominent front legs, which are bent and held together at an angle, suggesting a prayer position. The prayer mantis has a triangular head that can turn 180 degrees to scan their surroundings with two large eyes. Being a master of camouflage, it blends into the plants on which it lives, lying in ambush or patiently stalking prey. It feeds on a host of insects which includes moths, crickets, grasshoppers and flies, so is very useful to have in an ecological garden.
The female is notorious for her reputation as a fearsome mate as she will sometimes eat her mate just after (or even during) mating. Yet, this behaviour does not seem to deter males from reproduction. Their lifespan is between 10-12 months, so I hope our friend lived to this ripe old age.
Farewell...
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