Today I saw a praying mantis in my yard. It’s the first one I’ve seen since I was a kid, more than 50 years ago. This one was relatively small and brown; I think that’s a male. The females are larger and green. When they mate she bites off his head.
Once when I was about 11-12 I had a praying mantis egg case in a jar in my room. When they hatched the little buggers got out of the jar and all over the house. Hundreds of them. My parents were not happy.
I think that’s something approaching a myth. It seems to only happen when they’re in captivity, if then.
I usually see a few each fall - September/October time frame. I’m not sure why it is usually fall when I see them - but for that reason I associate seeing a mantis with Autumn being just around the corner.
I see mantises in my garden most years, though it’s always cool. (The most bizarre was when I found one in my second-floor bathroom – the open window has a crape myrtle right outside, so it must have gotten in that way – I opened the screen and let it out.)
Yesterday I saw a dragonfly in my yard, which I’ve never seen before (in this house 20 years) – don’t they live near water?
I haven’t seen any praying mantises this year, but had some in my garden last year.
twickster, I’ve seen dragonflies in my neighborhood this year as well. Wikipedia includes wetlands in the list of their usual habitats (their larvae are aquatic). We’ve had a lot of rain this year and are not far from a river and a creek, so I figure that’s why they’ve been around here.
I’m within a half mile or so of both a river and a creek – but there’s plenty of urban “stuff” between me and either of them. Ah well, I’m not going to look a gift dragonfly in the mouth – I was so enchanted I just sat there and watched it till if flew away.
No athiest jokes? No “were they facing Mecca jokes”? No…Well you get the idea 
its not exactly a myth, it does happen. The female is hardwired to strike at anything moving within a certain size range - the male fits these parameters. When mating, he VERY carefully approaches the female, making movements and touches that are designed to pacify her. He’ll get close enough to hopefully commence the mating act.
If he isn’t careful or is unlucky, she’ll strike. If he managed to couple first, he’ll keep mating while she eats him, but that has to do with the way insect nervous systems are wired in general.
If he’s lucky, he’ll complete the act still alive. He will then try like hell to get away. If he’s unlucky here, he’ll get eaten as well.
So in summary, female preying mantises will eat the male, but not because they specifically want to. The male is smaller and moving, and she is programed to eat anything in that range.
Wow! Thanks mozchron. That was really fascinating.
When I was a kid we had a Christmas tree one year that had an egg case in it. Boy, was that a surprise present.
I see tons of dragonflies, everyday, and we’re pretty much in the prairies. Closest real lake is about an hour north of here.
Well, it’s not quite pigeon eggs, but it’s something…interesting.
Congrats, panache!
I saw it happen when I was a kid. We had a lot of them back then.
LOVE the mantids. Try looking at one from every different angle and watch its eyes follow you the whole time. They are such awe-inspiring creatures.
I did think about saying “Quickly, ask them to prove there isn’t an invisible dragon in your garage! Ask them why they don’t believe in leprechauns! Fight the ignorance!” 
Must be quite a blast from the past - now I’m remembering the exotica I saw when I was a small boy in Singapore: touch-me-not plants and chichaks, for a start… 
Originally posted by GuanoLad
An old column that confirms that this usually happens in captivity.