Huge gross factor. But the Praying Mantas is a carnivore & will feast upon the herbivores that are dinning on my basil, cilantro, banana peppers & my tomatoes…I drew this one, so that I remember that they are not aliens that have landed in my gardens. Good to draw something everyday…eewwww. I also ordered 1,500 ladybugs for the gardens at the same time…and shampoo to get the brass out of my hair. Gotta love the person who sees this order.
2me4art 
Oh my god, don’t let them warm up in your house! You’ll have a nightmare of baby mantids on your hands! A friend of mine told a story once of going out to a cut-your-own Christmas tree farm, picking out the perfect one, lopping it down, getting it inside and all beautifully decorated, and several days later… thousands of baby mantises had joined them.
I got all excited this winter when I found not one but THREE of these egg pouches on shrubs and pasted to the wall of my house. Then while out for a walk, I passed by a heap of branch trimmings on the side of the road and spotted another one. I put that puppy in my pocket and brought it home and stuck it on another shrub. My yard ought to be pest-free for all the mantises that should be running around here come July. Good luck with yours!
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Oh, you’re going to give me nightmares. I plan on the putting the eggs & thing i’m supposed to hatch them in on the huge bushes on the edge of my property. That Christmas tree story could be made into a horror movie! BUT, you tell me the horror story, then YOU put an egg pouch in YOUR pocket?! You’re my hero! ~amy
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I’m so creeped out by praying mantas that I can’t bring myself to release so many in my garden! I know they would help a lot though… I’ve done ladybugs and totally spazzed on the sheer number of them! Please let me know how it turns out, maybe you’ll convince me to get over my heebie jeebies! 😉
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I’m hoping that most of them get eaten by the birds & I have just a few to see. They really are gross. But, they don’t move much. I will show you what happens. Wish me luck. ~amy
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Good luck!! 😉
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Haha! They do look like aliens. Delightful.
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Thank you, Kat! ~amy
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Great illustration! You got all the good garden doctors delivered to your door, I look forward seeing some great shots!
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I never really get a chance…I mean, I never TAKE the chance to draw. So I looked up the praying mantas & drew it from an image on my screen. Stretching out the artist that lays dormant in me. Thank you for the compliment. Coming from you, it means a great deal. & i can’t wait to photograph the ladybugs, they come alive! 1,500 of them…~amy
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I think they are pretty bugs. The itty bitty ones are cute too. Ladybugs are supposedly also good for munching on insect pests.
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I need carnivores to help me grow my veggies. Ladybugs love meat & I’ve always been so happy to see them working in my garden. I was very excited that I could buy some. They’ve all ready been shipped! ~amy
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I like the way you think! Will have to order my own:)
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I can’t take credit, a blogger posted the link to Amazon for me! I found ladybugs too. I’m excited to see the eggs hatch…a little freaked out by the thought too. ~amy
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Wow is right. The Praying Mantas is a neat bug though. You can get most everything from Amazon.
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They are very strange looking bugs. I can’t wait to see if the eggs hatch. Thanks, Dan. ~amy
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Reblogged this on Aging Gardens and Gardeners and commented:
Illustrations from one I follow. These are the most amazing bugs, but if you are squeamish, I don’t recommend watching them dine.
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like this letting nature do its buisness
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Me too. Pesticides in my gardens would mean I couldn’t pick a cherry tomato & wrap it a basil leaf & eat it on the spot while weeding. 🙂 ~amy
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A brilliant idea – we also have the occasional cherry tomato (when the birds haven’t eaten them) and lots of basil leaves… never thought of wrapping them together ‘on the fly’ as I garden though…
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Yummiest snack ever. Nothing fresher. Thanks, Reggie. I wish you good snacking. ~amy
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I love praying mantis and they are great models.
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They do stand still long enough to draw one! I’m excited to see if they hatch & grow into adults. Great photo opportunity. Thanks, Timothy. ~amy
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Yikes! Is there ANYTHING that Amazon DOESN’T sell!?!? Good luck with your new, extended family. Lol, Ed
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Ha! I was shocked that i found these bugs were available too. I was informed by another blogger that when the eggs arrive, I’m supposed to put them in a bush & then just wait. My son said that he is going to put a blue marker dot on one & call him Sully. My husband is out of town & he called yesterday after reading the post & asked me how we incubate the eggs. He was very relived to find that we don’t do anything, he was more relived when I told him the birds would probably eat most of them. I’ll be sure to photograph my extended family for you, Ed. You’ll be so jealous 🙂
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wOw..
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I know. My husband is out of town & called about my post & my order. He asked me how we are supposed to incubate the eggs…I told him that you just put the eggs in a bush. My son said, “I’m going to put a blue marker dot on one & call him Sully” I love that kid. ~amy
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