A Memo to a Mantis

Dear Ms. Mantis,

We see you. You're trying to camouflage yourself, but we see you. 

You're hanging out on a showy milkweed, Asclepias speciosa, trying to catch a butterfly or a bee. 

So, will you try to nab a monarch? A Mama Monarch that's trying to lay her eggs on her host plant?

You know, the declining monarch population is on “life support,” as butterfly guru Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor of evolution and ecology, says. 

Ms. Mantis, we remember when one of your kin ambushed a monarch on our butterfly bush in September of 2015. Your kin ate the head, thorax and abdomen and discarded the wings. The wings fluttered to the ground. Yes, we know you have to eat, too. Everything in the garden eats. 

But now that we have your attention, Ms. Mantis, would you kindly consider the following menu--à la carte, if you wish? 

1. Appetizing aphids
2. Scrumptious stink bugs
3. Magnificent milkweed bugs
4. Crunchy cabbage white butterflies
5. Luscious leaffooted bugs

Thank you, Ms. Mantis, for your kind attention to this culinary matter. If we may be of any future help in menu planning (it's important to consider the principles of adequacy, balance, calorie or energy control, nutrient density, moderation and variety), please let us know.   

Signed,

The Gardeners