InsectNet forum

I have been regularly seeing praying mantises feeding at the porch lights the last few weeks. Today I counted over 20 still hanging out on the windows at my work after daylight. I'm not sure at all what species they are; the ones I see at my house are a little larger and grass green, sometimes with a dark pronotum, while these ones at work today were a mottled brown.

Mantids are just perfect, neat to see them like that. I recall walking in Eugene one night in late August and finding dozens under a street light.
Kids like them too, the quintessential insect.

They certainly are charismatic. It's quite a joy to watch them feed at the lights but whatever they're eating is too small the the mantids move too fast for me to see what they're eating. Makes you wonder how behavioral entomologists ever see what their subjects are doing. Maybe they have better eyes than I do or something.

This male landed on the screen on my patio's door about
a week ago, when I was celebrating my birthday.
I seldom see them in my area, so it was a pleasant surprise.
My wife said it was certainly the spirit of my grandfather,
who was inordinately fond of Mantidae.