Defending the garden

“The Praying Mantis has lived among us for centuries. Their beauty and mystique stirs our curiosity. Long and slender, quick yet graceful they stand on top of the insect world as regal creatures of the fields even in all their many colors of camouflage.

My brother and I have been fascinated with the Praying Mantis ever since we were little. This website is dedicated to this beautiful creature of nature. I have provided original commentary of our experience raising the praying mantis as a loyal pet and just observing the praying mantis in their natural habitat as well. We will also provide videos and articles from other experts as well.

 

We will be providing a whole host of information including the praying mantis life cycle, eggs, naturalenemies, fascinating facts and the praying mantis as pets. I hope you enjoy this website for the praying mantis as we share it with you.

 

Origins of the Name

 

A praying mantis, or praying mantid, is the common name for an insect of the order Mantodea. The word is sometimes misspelled “preying” mantis, understandably since they are natural predators. They are in fact named for the typical "prayer-like" stance. The word mantis is actually derived from the Greek word mantis for prophet or fortune teller. The preferred pluralization is mantids, though there is some usage of mantes or mantises. The world's largest praying mantis was recorded at about 18 inches long, in Southern China, in 1929. That is almost the length of a human’s forearm!”