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

Posts Tagged: Lohit Garikipati

'This Hanging Pot Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us!'

"This hanging potted plant ain't big enough for both of us!" That's what a female praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, seemed to be warning when she encountered another female on "her" hanging potted plant. So, how do you beat the competition?...

Two female praying mantes, Stagmomantis limbata, encounter one another on a potted plant in Vacaville. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)
Two female praying mantes, Stagmomantis limbata, encounter one another on a potted plant in Vacaville. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

Two female praying mantes, Stagmomantis limbata, encounter one another on a potted plant in Vacaville. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

The praying mantis battle turns vicious, as a battle royale begins. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)
The praying mantis battle turns vicious, as a battle royale begins. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

The praying mantis battle turns vicious, as a battle royale begins. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

One praying mantis dominates her competitor.  (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)
One praying mantis dominates her competitor. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

One praying mantis dominates her competitor. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

The winning mantis eating the loser's head. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)
The winning mantis eating the loser's head. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

The winning mantis eating the loser's head. (Cell phone image by Mike Castro)

Posted on Monday, October 30, 2023 at 1:09 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

Shall We Prey? Mantises Are Totally Fascinating

Bring on the praying mantises! An enthusiastic crowd is expected at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 27 in Room 1124 of Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, University of California, Davis. It's...

A backlit praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, reigns supreme on a yellow zinnia in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A backlit praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, reigns supreme on a yellow zinnia in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A backlit praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, reigns supreme on a yellow zinnia in a Vacaville pollinator garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The praying mantis strikes a familiar pose. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The praying mantis strikes a familiar pose. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The praying mantis strikes a familiar pose. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

No more pictures! The Stagmomantis limbata crawls down the zinnia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
No more pictures! The Stagmomantis limbata crawls down the zinnia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

No more pictures! The Stagmomantis limbata crawls down the zinnia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, claims a different view of the world. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, claims a different view of the world. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, claims a different view of the world. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at 7:27 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

Green Legs and Bam!

Have you ever seen a green-legged praying mantis on a green leaf? Praying mantis expert Lohitashwa "Lohit" Garikipati, identified this species as a subadult male, Stagmomantis limbata, perched in a patch of African blue...

Green legs of this male praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, are camouflaged in this patch of African blue basil. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Green legs of this male praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, are camouflaged in this patch of African blue basil. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Green legs of this male praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, are camouflaged in this patch of African blue basil. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Wednesday, August 17, 2022 at 2:00 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

Find the Praying Mantis in the African Blue Basil

Honey bees absolutely love African blue basil. If there ever were a "bee magnet," this plant is it.  We first learned of African blue basil, (Ocimum kilimandscharicum × basilicum 'Dark Opal'),  through Gordon...

In this image, you can see two bees on the African blue basil. But can you find the praying mantis? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
In this image, you can see two bees on the African blue basil. But can you find the praying mantis? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

In this image, you can see two bees on the African blue basil. But can you find the praying mantis? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Oh, there you are, praying mantis! Enjoying a little sunshine, hmm? This one is a male subadult male Stagmomantis limbata, as identified by mantis expert Lohit Garikipati, a UC Davis alumnus now studying for his master's degree at Towson (Maryland) University. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Oh, there you are, praying mantis! Enjoying a little sunshine, hmm? This one is a male subadult male Stagmomantis limbata, as identified by mantis expert Lohit Garikipati, a UC Davis alumnus now studying for his master's degree at Towson (Maryland) University. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Oh, there you are, praying mantis! Enjoying a little sunshine, hmm? This one is a male subadult male Stagmomantis limbata, as identified by mantis expert Lohit Garikipati, a UC Davis alumnus now studying for his master's degree at Towson (Maryland) University. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Thursday, August 11, 2022 at 7:52 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Yard & Garden

Milkweed's New Buddy: It's Not a Monarch

Our showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) is putting on a show. The towering plant--a good eight feet--anchors the garden as we patiently wait for monarch butterflies to arrive and lay their eggs.  It's mid-August and it...

A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, hanging out on a milkweed in Vacaville, Calif. after molting. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, hanging out on a milkweed in Vacaville, Calif. after molting. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, hanging out on a milkweed in Vacaville, Calif. after molting. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The exoskeleton that the praying mantis just shed is lying on a milkweed leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The exoskeleton that the praying mantis just shed is lying on a milkweed leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The exoskeleton that the praying mantis just shed is lying on a milkweed leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2021 at 7:22 PM
Focus Area Tags: Environment, Natural Resources, Yard & Garden

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