CURSES! Foiled Again!

In which I intervene in the natural order of things . . .

After yesterday's butterfly adventure in the pollinator garden of the Arboretum, of course I couldn't resist going back to check for more monarchs. And so during a quick break in my day, I did that. I didn't see any butterflies, but I did spy a huge green bug, hanging upside down in the bed of purple flowers where I spotted yesterday's newborn monarch: a praying mantis!

In general, I have nothing against praying mantis bugs. Except for this: they eat butterflies! I photographed the huge bug, and while doing so, I spotted a shiny green monarch chrysalis nearby (proof of my theory that the purple flower patch is the monarch butterfly nursery). What? Was the big bug just hanging around, waiting to make a snack of an unsuspecting newborn butterfly?

Now, usually I do not intervene in these natural dramas. I try to let the predators and the prey go their own way and work things out together. But all of that stops with butterflies. They need all the help they can get.

And so I got a twig, and I enticed the praying mantis to climb on it, and then I removed the big bug to another part of the gardens. And I did it QUICKLY, as the twig wasn't very long and the bug was very aggressively and speedily climbing the twig to get at my fingers!

In this photo, you can see the face of one VERY unhappy praying mantis, after I arranged its relocation: "CURSES! Foiled again!" It also looks like the bug is about to try to take me on in a kung fu match, and I have to admit that I don't think I'd enjoy that too much.

The tune to accompany this image of an angry and thwarted praying mantis is an old Elton John favorite. And I imagine that it could be sung by yesterday's butterfly. Or maybe today's new butterfly, yet to be born. Elton John, Someone Saved My Life Tonight.