The Mantis Drops In

Is a praying mantis really good luck? I'm not sure, but I do know that finding one in your backyard is rare—or unheard of—in these semi-rural parts of south Santa Cruz county.  It most definitely falls under the category of "way cool."

After our visitor arrived last weekend and hopped onto both of us, I did a little research: The praying mantis is definitely not native. Its reach extends throughout the Central Valley and then heads east into Nevada and New Mexico.

We're coastal, so it's too cold. Cold or not, this little guy (or gal) was pretty active, as you can see on this video.

So what brought it here? Maybe our neighboring organic orchard (no sprays, God bless 'em!) dropped some on the trees as a natural pesticide. Perhaps someone bought a batch of 'em from the local hardware store (next to the bags of ladybugs) and a stray came our way. One friend also suggested that perhaps this mantis clung to our car on the way back from the American River Music Festival last month. Not likely. That would have been one tough mantis, though some of these little buggers (pun intended) have been known to known to take down something as big as a hummingbird.

(But the aphid population around our house is null lately. Someone's eating well.) 

So is a praying mantis good luck? Maybe. Unless you're an aphid. Or a male praying mantis.

Epilogue: If you're wondering, of course I'm now working on bug songs. (And if you're not spider phobic, ask me about my tarantula encounters in Gilroy the weekend before last.)