This praying mantis is making a fine outdoor pet for John Lee of Falls Church. He discovered the interesting insect one day out on the balcony.

This praying mantis is making a fine outdoor pet for John Lee of Falls Church. He discovered the interesting insect one day out on the balcony. It seems the mantis is happy to stick around, since Lee says it’s been outside for about a month. Most of us call these insects ‘praying mantises’ due to their typical ‘prayer-like’ stance. Mantises use their color as camouflage, blending in with foliage to avoid predators. The majority of mantises are ambush predators, waiting for prey to stray too near and grabbing them. Because of their famous bug eating skills, some organic gardeners, who avoid pesticides, encourage mantises in their gardens as a form of biological pest control. In fact, tens of thousands of mantis egg cases are sold each year in garden stores solely for this purpose. Lee, luckily, got this little guy for free.

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