I was at work last weekend and riding my bike down the truck road to one of the other ranges when I spotted some perennials that had escaped and were growing near one of our propagation fields. Was bored (hope boss or owners aren't reading...) so stopped to check them out. First I saw a bunch of inchworms hanging out on the flowers and some of the stems. Hadn't seen such a gathering before and when I looked more closely I saw that the ones on top seemed to be eating the pollen from the center of the blooms!
there is another inchworm hiding on the lower stem, hard to see
After checking this out for a minute, I saw a fly-ish sort of bug sort of sideways on one of the flowers and a closer look revealed a mantis or mantid-like creature that was pretty small and was also camouflaged in a pretty cool fashion. It had brown and green markings on it's back, and two horns (actually almost four, two sets of two) looking like plant thorns side-by-side on it's lower back. I've only seen the green praying mantis' around but this was the first other type I've seen. Though it looked like it had a snout that was sticking inside of the fly instead of chewing it apart, it had the front legs that looked like the clasping type that praying and other mantises have. Does anybody know what these are?
I have a feeling it isn't a mantis, but have no idea really what it might be.
the bug really wasn't too concerned with my being so close; I was bumping the flower around and though I saw it move a little I guess the fly tasted too good to leave behind!
there is another inchworm hiding on the lower stem, hard to see
After checking this out for a minute, I saw a fly-ish sort of bug sort of sideways on one of the flowers and a closer look revealed a mantis or mantid-like creature that was pretty small and was also camouflaged in a pretty cool fashion. It had brown and green markings on it's back, and two horns (actually almost four, two sets of two) looking like plant thorns side-by-side on it's lower back. I've only seen the green praying mantis' around but this was the first other type I've seen. Though it looked like it had a snout that was sticking inside of the fly instead of chewing it apart, it had the front legs that looked like the clasping type that praying and other mantises have. Does anybody know what these are?
I have a feeling it isn't a mantis, but have no idea really what it might be.
the bug really wasn't too concerned with my being so close; I was bumping the flower around and though I saw it move a little I guess the fly tasted too good to leave behind!
