Let's go with praying mantises!

Praying Mantis Egg Casing

Hatching 1

Hatching 2

Hatching 3

Praying Mantis adult

Another adult, Photo by Ellen Green

In the spring of 2009, I had the privilege of witnessing praying mantises hatching from their egg casing. It was truly amazing. You might wonder, though, why the hatching photos aren't as crisp and detailed as those you've come to expect from Ned Harris. (All photos from Ned except the last one.) That's my fault. I asked him to take photos of wildflowers that day for the naturalist guide that he, Carol T and I put together for SCVN, and he therefore brought only the 'wildflower' lens. Despite not having the perfect lens, Ned did manage to capture what was happening. You can tell that the hatching praying mantises are mini-adults. Because I am a highly-trained (okay, just a regular) naturalist, I'll let you know that the stages egg, nymph, adult represent an example of incomplete metamorphosis. The correct plural of 'mantis' is open to debate. I'm going with the most common. Updated: 2/2/2014