Mantis - The Next Generation

While turmoil rules in the human world, the cycles of nature go on. My neighbor and I happened to be in the right place at the right time to see one of our backyard Praying Mantises create the egg case that will shelter her progeny until next spring.

This one chose an evergreen as the site for the ootheca, though most have favored a Forsythia bush in the past (six egg cases this year).

The foamy excretion provides a chamber for each of the 200 or so eggs produced.

It takes a long time to build up all the layers.

This ootheca will shelter the eggs over parts of three seasons, no matter what the weather. The adult Mantises die in Autumn. Watching and learning more about these insects is the highlight of my spring and summer backyard activities here on Block 832.

--Bernice