Happenings in the insect world
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Published on: December 7, 2023
Can a praying mantis catch a monarch?
Yes, it can. And yes, it does.
It was Sept. 14, 2013. As I approached a Vacaville supermarket, I noticed pink lantana blooming furiously near the entrance, and then, a familiar-looking butterfly quietly sipping nectar.
"Ah, there's a monarch," I observed.
I wasn't the only one watching the monarch.
A female praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, was watching it, too.
In a nano-second, it was all over.
A meal for the mantis.
One less monarch to migrate.
Yes, it can. And yes, it does.
A monarch sips nectar from lantana near a Vacaville supermarket. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
female praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, ambushes the monarch. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The predator clutches the monarch with its spiked forelegs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Comments:
by Barbara Hunt
on December 8, 2023 at 1:59 AM
Incredible photos!
by Tim
on December 10, 2023 at 10:13 AM
Awesome photos, I'm just amazed with the hunting skills of the mantis. I enjoyed watching them ambush those huge Japanese killer wasp/hornets.If they don't secure the head they will get bitten forcing the mantis to release the hornet. HOPEFULLY
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