Master Gardeners of Ventura County
University of California
Master Gardeners of Ventura County

Posts Tagged: egg case

A Little Brown, Carefully Wrapped Package in the Garden

The predator and the prey... Or the predator-to-bee. Currently, honey bees are foraging on our tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii, in our family's pollinator garden in Vacaville, Calif. It's a veritable tower of bees. They're side-stepping a little...

A praying mantis egg case, ootheca, on the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A praying mantis egg case, ootheca, on the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis egg case, ootheca, on the tower of jewels, Echium wildpretii. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee steps over a praying mantis egg case, an ootheca. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee steps over a praying mantis egg case, an ootheca. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee steps over a praying mantis egg case, an ootheca. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis dining on a honey bee in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A praying mantis dining on a honey bee in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis dining on a honey bee in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Monday, April 27, 2020 at 5:06 PM
Tags: Echium wildpretii (20), egg case (4), honey bee (250), ootheca (18), praying mantis (147), tower of jewels (25)

A Delightful Find

Any day's a good day when you find the ootheca (egg case) of a praying mantis in your yard. It's much better than finding an Easter egg. Ootheca comes from the Greek word "oo," meaning egg and the Latin word, "theca," meaning a cover or container. A...

The egg case or ootheca of a praying mantis, is attached to the stem of a lavender plant. Note the small hole on the left, near the top--the exit hole of a parasitoid, according to Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The egg case or ootheca of a praying mantis, is attached to the stem of a lavender plant. Note the small hole on the left, near the top--the exit hole of a parasitoid, according to Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The egg case or ootheca of a praying mantis, is attached to the stem of a lavender plant. Note the small hole on the left, near the top--the exit hole of a parasitoid, according to Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A young praying mantis searching for prey on a blanket flower, Gallardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A young praying mantis searching for prey on a blanket flower, Gallardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A young praying mantis searching for prey on a blanket flower, Gallardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis dining on a  honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A praying mantis dining on a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis dining on a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Monday, February 27, 2017 at 3:40 PM

On Your Knees!

 The praying mantis glared at me. It was not afraid of me, my camera, or my jockeying around to get a better position. When I captured the image (below) last fall in a neighbor's garden, I decided that in 2009, I would get my very own...

Praying Mantis
Praying Mantis

HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU--A praying mantis shows no fear. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

It's in the Bag
It's in the Bag

IT'S IN THE BAG--You can buy a praying mantis egg case online, in a nursery, or in the gardening section of your local hardware store. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Monday, January 19, 2009 at 6:19 PM
Tags: egg case (4), praying mantis (147)

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