[Note: This is a very unusual (very rare) Praying Mantis for our north-central Illinois area. It is probably a Carolina Mantis. These are southern mantids but, due to global warming, are moving more north. This one has wonderful chameleonic abilities. Note how it amazingly blends in with the different color tones of the park bench. It is a female and seems to be loaded with fertile eggs. It may not have mated with a male at any time whatsoever. Female mantises can lay many completely fertile eggs without a male. When this happens, the offspring are perfect clones of the mother.]
Chameleonic Praying Mantis. … Photo by Thomas Peace c.2019
My Blog primarily consists of close-up nature photos (that I've taken locally) combined with original holistic-truth oriented prose and/or poetry involving mindfulness/awareness. I love nature and I love understanding the whole (not merely the parts and the details). I'm a retired teacher of the multiply handicapped.
I have a number of interesting hobbies, such as fossil collecting, sport-kite flying, 3D and 2D close-up photography, holography, and pets. Most of all, I am into holistic self-awareness, spontaneous insight, unconventional observation/direct perception, mindfulness, meditation, world peace, non-fragmentation, population control, vegetarianism, and green energy.
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Gorgeous creature … nice that she stayed put while your camera preyed on her preying … may her young proliferate and spread the beauty (somewhere near your camera!)
What a unique mantis. I only spot green or brown ones here in the southwest. Your poem is really clever, too. Cool that they can clone. We have lizards here that do it exclusively. Did you know mantises have been photographed preying on hummingbirds at feeders? Creepy!!!
Very clever with the prey and pray wordplay Tom. I’ve never seen a praying mantis in the wild – this one is beautiful with its colors, which you have captured perfectly with your macro lens.
I’ve seen only one praying mantis in my life — obviously, I need to get out more! One the other hand, I’m accustomed to seeing photos of green ones, and it may be that this one (said to be common in Texas) is around, and I haven’t seen it because I was expecting green. In any event, now I know it exists – and if I ever see one, I’ll certainly remember your clever poem!
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 
Nice shot
Nice word play and awesome shot. 😀
She’s beautiful thanks for sharing her- and your poem is delightful!
Gorgeous creature … nice that she stayed put while your camera preyed on her preying … may her young proliferate and spread the beauty (somewhere near your camera!)
Interesting, Tom. I have never seen a mantis like that.
Wow! What a great sighting.
Fantastic photo and very clever verse Tom.
What a unique mantis. I only spot green or brown ones here in the southwest. Your poem is really clever, too. Cool that they can clone. We have lizards here that do it exclusively. Did you know mantises have been photographed preying on hummingbirds at feeders? Creepy!!!
Very clever with the prey and pray wordplay Tom. I’ve never seen a praying mantis in the wild – this one is beautiful with its colors, which you have captured perfectly with your macro lens.
I’ve seen only one praying mantis in my life — obviously, I need to get out more! One the other hand, I’m accustomed to seeing photos of green ones, and it may be that this one (said to be common in Texas) is around, and I haven’t seen it because I was expecting green. In any event, now I know it exists – and if I ever see one, I’ll certainly remember your clever poem!
Very cool! I have seen several green ones in our area recently. I think they are so fascinating. Your brown one is beautiful!!