showdown at high noon

I caught some pix of these two on the window-screen of my art classroom late last August. They stuck around there for nearly the entire week and of course my students (elementary kids) went crazy, making for a challenging first week back in the classroom. Still, I was glad to see kids still fascinated by bugs despite all the mind-numbing distractions and whatnot thrown their way every single day. It took me back to when I was a kid and made me remember how my uncle taught me how to catch grasshoppers. So, in no way could I discourage my students from being thrilled at the sight of these amazing creatures of the Earth.

Anyhow it looks as if one of them (on the right) is pregnant. My assumption is that the mantis on the left was her "lover" who, if I'm not mistaken, will most likely be devoured by his lady after she lays her eggs (eaten head first nonetheless). Makes me glad to be a human afterall.

In the meantime, I'm loving this site. The pics, with such a wide range of subject matter and style, are all so artfully done, and the participants are all so kind and insightful. I thank you all for having me on board and I look forward to posting and viewing more here. As a challenge, I'd love to see some bug pics from you guys. Now's the time when they're out and about--take advantage of it--use nature and its abundance of subject matter as your inspiration (as many of you have). Anyway, whatever you choose to post I look forward to it! Keep up the great work!