Chinese Mantis hatchlings

Description:

Tiny, and sort of pale/translucent, so very hard to see if you're not looking for them. This one was climbing the wall, which made it stand out. I found several in this same spot, which means there were a lot more. Mantis hatchlings emerge en masse, so it is not surprising to see a bunch of them at once. These might be from the mantis egg case I spotted earlier. They were in a neighboring flowerbed. Not very quick walkers, but always on the move. Would not stay still. Kept jumping from my hand to the ground, and they seemed to float down like dandelion seeds. Their task at this stage of life is to find food and eat like crazy. Mantids are unusual among insects in that they do not have a nymph stage; the hatchlings look like miniature adults. They will molt as they grow.

Habitat:

Suburban yard in north Georgia. In flowerbed next to house. Emerged on a warm, sunny day (it's been sunny and warm all week here). The egg case which I think was theirs was on a daylily stem in the flowerbed around the corner of the house.

Notes:

These little critters are cuties!