Praying mantis

Just out weeding the "northwest corner" of our yard (actually the southwest corner, but it's planted with all natives), and a praying mantis lands on my arm. I didn't think they'd survive, but sure enough, here was this tiny insect...

Several weeks ago, Kasey and Tessa, who live down the street, brought over a just-hatched jar full of the insect-eating insects, and let them go in the yard. They were cultivated for a school project. Kasey, who just turned nine, can name almost any plant in the yard. Forrest and I look to her as a resource to help us identify the mysterious plants growing here that seemingly planted themselves (I thank - or curse - the birds and squirrels for that). She said they were good for gardens and would eat bugs like mosquitoes. Mosquito magnet that I am, I welcomed their arrival.

Mantises can apparently live about a year in warm climates - of which ours has been since their arrival. They'll die off in winter, but they're a friend to gardeners in summer months because they'll eat undesirable insects. Unfortunately, they can also eat desirable ones, so I'm glad they're where they are. There should be plenty of non-beneficial insects to keep them happy for now. And I'm assuming - hopefully rightly so - that these are the type of mantis that are legal to have in the US - apparently there are some types that are not.

Wikipedia has all kinds of interesting information about them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praying_mantis, and some really cool photos, too (since this little guy was far too quick for me to get a shot).

Update: Apparently those kept in captivity are doing far better than the one that landed on my arm - they're a lot larger. I'm told they're feasting on a steady diet of "spit" bugs; the neighbors have now depleted their supply, so they've come for ours. They're welcome to all they want - our mantis either hasn't found them, doesn't like them, or has another food source, and I quite despise them.