Up in the Clouds

Watching clouds from the roof garden. There's that spot again. I've got to get the camera cleaned!

This is a baby praying mantis. The first one I've seen in the roof garden this year.

Close-ups

We can never pass up the chance to take a picture of a praying mantis. They are part of our garden family. This picture was taken on the 7th. This may be the same praying mantis we saw climbing the palm tree earlier in the day. She was in a big hurry, and she looked a lot fatter.

She was not in hurry as she made her way across the picnic table. She paused to wash her face. Look at those black prickly things on her front legs. I've never noticed those before.

Check the label below for more pictures of other praying mantises. Click on these pictures to enlarge them.

First Steps

This is a very young praying mantis. It's translucent! I saw this one dangling from the casing (egg sac). The wind blew it and it grabbed the wall. It pulled free from the string. I saw its first steps.

Here's another one. It will dangle and wiggle out of an outer shell. It will make its way to the wall or drop to the ground.