Not So Clever Camouflage

Praying Mantises are usually difficult to spot because they look like a stick among other sticks on a shrub or in a tree. A burgundy chrysanthemum is definitely not good cover.

It’s actually from 2008, before I began photo-blogging, but it’s one of my favorites. Usually, finding a praying mantis is a surprise as they are typically so well camouflaged while waiting for a hapless insect to land nearby, but deep rose-colored chrysanthemums are hardly a foil for a long, slender pale green insect!

They aren’t fearful of humans so I could get close and take quite a few photos. I was watching its tongue flick in and out as it tasted/smelled the air, and I have a few photos of it cleaning its front legs as well.

Spending time with a living creature so different from one’s self is always an interesting experience.

Here are a few other photos of these little sticks.

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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, visit my galleries of Photography on Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit “Custom Prints” for availability and terms. I'll be more than happy to make a print for you.