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Project Noah Nature School
Mantodea
I was SO excited to find this is my garden yesterday! "Praying mantids typically lay their eggs in late summer or fall, and the young develop within the ootheca over the winter months. The foamy case insulates the offspring from the cold and provides them with some protection from predators. Tiny mantid nymphs hatch from their eggs while still inside the egg case." ~ThoughtCo.com
Spotted on a Butterfly Pea plant in my desert garden
Possibly belongs to a Giant African Mantis (Sphodromantis viridis) as I spotted several of these in the summer in my garden.
Spotted on Feb 20, 2019
Submitted on Feb 21, 2019
9 Comments
@Tukup - Thank you! Project Noah is the reason I knew what this was when I saw it. I've learned so much here. :-)
@SukanyaDatta - Yes, extra nice when the surprise is in my own garden - and I can check on it every day!
Nice catch Bernadette. I wouldn't have even known what it was. Now I do. Thanks for sharing that and congratulations on the SOTD.
Congratulations Bernadette. Isn't it wonderful when one's own garden springs such a lovely surprise!
Yes, I am indeed excited, Daniele! :-) I've been wanting to find one of these for many years now. So I am extra pleased with a SOTD. Thank you all!
Congrats Bernadette! Awesome spotting!
very cool find Bernadette,congrats on the well deserved SOTD and thanks for sharing
I can see you were excited by your find Bernadette! Congratulations, it is our Spotting of the Day:
"They can contain several hundred eggs! This mantis ootheca is our Spotting of the Day. Oothecae (egg cases) are a type of egg mass where eggs are protected by a hardened structure made of proteins. An example of convergent evolution, in insects oothecae are found in Dictyoptera (cockroaches, termites and praying mantises), grasshoppers and locusts (Orthoptera: Caelifera), heelwalkers (Mantophasmatodea), some chrysomelid beetles (Coleoptera: Cassidinae), and even some stick insects (Korinninae). Oothecae protect the eggs from desiccation or oversaturation, predators, and parasitoids. Their composition and appearance depend on species and on environment".
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Very cool, Bernadette!