A colloquial name for the order is "praying mantises", because of the typical "prayer-like" stance, although the term is often mis-spelled as "preying mantis." The word mantis is Greek for "prophet" or "fortune teller."
Today I carpooled with a praying mantis. I adjusted my rearview mirror and was pleasantly surprised when I spotted the insect roaming slowly across the back window. She was long in length and very pretty. We drove to work together and then I took some pictures with my camera phone (I was disappointed that I didn’t have my camera with me). I carefully assisted the insect out of the car. It didn't take long for me to entice her to walk onto my hand. She must have enjoyed being there because I couldn’t remove her when I tried to place her in a bush. She gently started to crawl up my arm, but eventually I was able to persuade her to cling to a bush in the parking lot.
It was a great way to start the day!
Is it a coincidence? Or could it be the same praying mantis (she looks the same size)? Let's see, the other day I transported the praying mantis in my car to New York and released her in the parking lot. Did she hitch a ride back to Jersey via my car? If so, did she travel from my car to my friend's car (a few houses away) and wind up in Virginia where my friend took these pictures? (photos by BD)
