17/366: Praying Mantis: "Take me to your leader!"

At the end of June 2014, I was upstairs in our home and walking in the hallway, when I noticed movement on the ground. Peering down at our beige carpet, I could hardly believe my eyes. "NO WAY!!!" It was an adult praying mantis!! I could barely see it on the carpet because it so perfectly matched the color!

Somehow, this praying mantis managed to find its way inside our house and climb up our stairs to the second floor. Who knows how long it had been lost inside, but I figured it was probably very hungry, thirsty and weak. Trotting downstairs to get a jar, it took me a few seconds to find it again when I returned. Amazed, I gently coaxed it inside and brought the jar downstairs, where I stared in awe at the "space alien of the insect world". I ran upstairs to get Steve and after admiring our cool friend, we went outside to let him disappear into the dried grass which it so perfectly matched.

Just before releasing him, Steve held him for a photo session, and I managed to get lots of great pictures! What a magnificent insect!!! :)

Information about camouflage and the praying mantis:
These masters of camouflage don't change colors within minutes like chameleons can. Instead, they change colors every time they molt to match the current environment they're in. They molt approximately every two weeks as they are growing up, but once they are adults, they no longer molt, and they cannot change color after that.