What can one say about a praying mantis? A lot, I've learned. First, the one shown is not native. Nope. It is a European immigrant that came to Canada via the States. There is also a Chinese mantis but it is found mainly in British Columbia in Canada.
There is one mantis that belongs here: the Carolina mantis. The native species gets too little respect. Why do I say that? Well the European praying mantis is the official state insect of Connecticut and not the Carolina mantis. And when garden centres sell mantises to dine on destructive insects in our gardens, the mantis species sold is invariably the European. And the insects dined upon may even include our own native mantis.
The European mantis may threaten the existence of the Carolina mantis. For this reason, some advise destroying the egg clusters of the European and Chinese mantises. I would think it awfully hard to differentiate. That said, there is cluster glued to the underside of the brickwork near where my granddaughter spotted today's example. I think I'd be safe in assuming this was left by the green-winged visitor.
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