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Hawk vs. Praying Mantis

A young Coopers Hawk swooped across the yard, landed on a branch, and proceeded to dismantle something yummy, scattering little bits on the driveway below. One piece fluttered down like a feather, but, after the hawk flew off, we found this:

Praying Mantis - wing
Praying Mantis – wing

It wasn’t a feather, it was an entire wing!

A few feet away, we found another:

Praying Mantis - wing parts
Praying Mantis – wing parts

Not that there was any doubt, but these parts clinched the identification:

Praying Mantis - foreleg and wing parts
Praying Mantis – foreleg and wing parts

Some days earlier, we admired eight Praying Mantises on the decorative grasses and bushes out front. Perhaps it was this one:

Praying Mantis - brown wing covers - in grass
Praying Mantis – brown wing covers – in grass

Or this one, a few feet away:

Praying Mantis - brown wing covers - on bush
Praying Mantis – brown wing covers – on bush

We don’t know what, if any, the difference between brown and green wing covers might indicate. Age? Gender? Attitude? Skill level?

It’s a food chain out there!

This entry was posted on 2019-09-17, 07:48 and is filed under Oddities. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

  1. #1 by Noellie on 2019-09-18 - 10:24

    What a cool story about the circle of life “food chain” love this post, thanks for sharing. https://noelliesplace.com/2019/09/18/pregnant-praying-mantis/

    • #2 by Ed on 2019-09-18 - 19:38

      But … hummingbirds‽‽

      Eeeeek!

      • #3 by Noellie on 2019-09-18 - 19:55

        I know right

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