Praying on fennel

I see quite a lot of this wild fennel with pretty yellow flowers along the borders of the fields. It is prolific and is used by the locals to flavour their olives when they come to bottle and preserve them. Today I just happened to notice this beautiful mantis which was almost perfectly camouflaged on the fennel stalk as though it were a leaf. If I had not been focusing on the plant with my camera, I am sure I would not have noticed it!

It is an Empusa pennata, or conehead mantis, native to the Mediaterranean Region. Apart from southern Spain it is also found in Portugal, Southern France, Italy and on the coasts of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey. I thought the protusion from the crown of its head and the eyes made it look quite alien. It is about 10 cm in length. Not quite a leaf, but a TT all the same, and thank you MaryElizaR for hosting Tiny Tuesday.

Hot and hazy today, and perfect for watching the Olympics in the cool.