Mantis Nymphs

This morning I went on a praying mantis hunt and found ten individuals over four different sites in my garden. Very encouraging, since they are so hard to spot that I’m sure there are more. The one above was emerging from its old skin. It is one of the biggest I found. The budding wings and wing cases are clearly visible. The antennae are turned over to the front of the insect, out of sight.

The smallest nymph I found was busy eating a tiny fly. See extra shot. This nymph is still in the second instar,  having traces of the baby’s black stripe.