Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Newly Hatched Praying Mantis - Teaching Patience

Newly Hatched Praying Mantis

I encountered another Praying Mantis Sunday night (4/27/14). It was a newly hatched praying mantis on my front porch stucco wall. Smaller than a dime, this little guy is already on the hunt. 

This is the second year in a row that I have found multiple juvenile Praying Mantis on my front porch. They grab moths attracted to my porch light. 

He was a challenge to photograph, even at this young age he was very much aware of his environment and the possible threat that I represented. He dodged my macro camera lens for awhile. I lost him several times. Eventually, he settled down and I got this close-up shot.

FUN FACT: unlike most of other insects, mantises have stereoscopic vision (the ability to perceive the world in three dimensions). See more at: Praying mantises get extra-tiny 3D glasses to test their vision

Lastly, I believe that it is of symbolic importance when we encounter certain animals. A friend of mine gave me a reading regarding the Praying Mantis. She was very accurate and the reading was very helpful to me. Essentially, the reading was very similar to the following web page excerpt:

Praying Mantis Meanings in the Realms of Animal Symbolism


The mantis comes to us when we need peace, quiet and calm in our lives. Usually the mantis makes an appearance when we've flooded our lives with so much business, activity, or chaos that we can no longer hear the still small voice within us because of the external din we've created.

After observing this creature for any length of time you can see why the symbolism of the praying mantis deals with stillness and patience. The mantis takes her time, and lives her life at her own silent pace.

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