I was checking on my catnip plant earlier this week and you will not believe what I saw!
Can you see it?
Maybe I should give you a small hint. Can you see now?
It was a baby praying mantis! It was about a half inch long, if that. We hardly ever see praying mantises around here, much less baby ones. When my human saw it, it was munching on a gnat.
Clearly, it did not like being disturbed!
It quickly tired of all the attention and tried to get away from prying eyes.
At first, I wished that my human had brought him inside as a tasty treat for me, but then I discovered that praying mantises actually help my catnip plant by eating the pests that want to munch on it. So it is allowed to stay as long as it wants!
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Wooohoooo… I didn’t see it at first…. Great pictures. I’m glad he’s helping your catnip grow…
pawhugs, Max
Wow, that is some good picture taking. That is so nice of him to take care of the catnip plant for you Sparkle. Have a great day.
SUPER pics and that one of you peeking out is a total winner! xox
What a cool picture of the praying mantis. We have almost destroyed our catnip plant. Mommy says it is a hardy little thing because after we eats it and rolls on top of it, it is still struggling to survive.
He is a welcome visitor then!!!
What a great picture of the praying mantis getting his dinner.
Luv Hannah and Lucy xx xx
Wow, kudos to your mom for the photography! We’ve never seen a praying mantis, baby or adult! That is VERY neat! And all the better for the catnip, which looks terrific, BTW!
That is awesome! This food chain stuff is excellent. Who’d have thought the preying mantis could be such a help to cats!
eeeep – it’s a bug!!!! mom says those praying mantis’s sure are funny looking. 🙂
Wow! You have your very own catnip pest-control coordinator! That’s really cool!
Purrs,
The Chans
Sparkle, how COOL is this?! We didn’t know that about ‘nip plants & preying mantisissssss … MOL! Isn’t nature GREAT?!
(Well, when kept to a minimum… MOL)
PURRS!
Selina
PS – Your hooman took some PAWSOME photos, too!
Great pictures! You were wise to leave the praying mantis on your catnip. They are great for your plant, but they are mean little bugs, too!
That’s pretty cool you have a praying mantis on your nip! When are you going to get a leaf or two though?
Wow that’s a tiny mantis! It’s great the mantis eats pests on your catnip. Yes, you gotta keep it!
Wow! Those are great pics. I didn’t know what a praying mantis was, I had never seen one. Now I’ll know thanks to you and your human!
It must have been hard resisting having it as a treat though…
But he certainly would be fun to watch, wouldn’t he?
They are one of the two bugs the publicist will tolerate. They eat a lot of bugs.
The baby praying mantis must think that’s a pretty cool catnip condo. Hopefully he’ll move in permanently and keep tabs on your catnip for you.
; ) Katie
We’re totally down with anything that stops those nasty bugs from munching on our catnip! GO mantises!
It sure is nice of that critter to take care of you nip for you!
We see LOTS of those guys on our plants – the “coccoons” the Momma Mantis makes are FULL of those little green babies and I know that when they hatch they’ll wander around and eat all the BAD BUGS on my Mom’s garden stuff. I leave them alone…..they’re “good guys” !! I’m sure that baby will take good care of your catnip for you.
Kitty Hugs, Sammy
Yes, yes… these are beneficials! They’ll protect your nip for you. Yoo-hoo!!!
That is very cool! We get a few katydids here, not that we have seen one, but one rode on Meowms car to work with her one mirning.
wonderful photos! and keep that baby bug happy if it saves your nip!
I love praying mantises! I used to have a bunch who visited me at the house, but I haven’t seen any here. 🙁 Your mom is right–they do lots of good!
Huh. Who knew a tasty treat could also be useful?
Wow, great photos!
That praying mantis better pray that Karma doesn’t come around to bite it! It wants to be left alone, but it sure did gnat leave the gnat alone. Thanks for the close-up view of nature in all it’s injustice! LOL!
Well, so long as the Cat Nip is okay – that is top priority!
it better be!!! Do you know I heard as a child that it is against the law to kill a Praying Mantis? Is that true?
I would not know about that, but I can say with some certainty that it does not apply to cats. Which is why it is a good thing for that praying mantis that it is outside and I am an indoor-only kitty!
Sparkle
That was one welcome visitor.
purrs
>^,,^<
♥Abby♥Boo♥Ping♥Jinx♥Grace♥
Thats cool how even tastee snacks has purpose of helping with the nip.
We see those bugs sometimes outside on the plants. We’re glad it wasn’t eating your nip plant!
We don’t see many of them either and get really excited when we do! They are so cool. Many years ago when the Girl was small she talked about a “Terannasses”. For a week the mom couldn’t figure it out & mentioned it to her mom who knew immediately it was a praying mantis. Now its a family joke.
Sparkle! Your Catnip is doing well! And yous has bugs to take care of it too! Wow! Me is not sure me would not has eaten it!
And Yous sure looks cute peeping out the door!
Kisses
Nellie
Whoa, cool bug! I’ve never seen one of those in the wild before.
We had those two houses ago. They look like little aliens! Glad to know yours is keeping watch over your ‘nip garden. 😉