Mantis website by Viking Spawn

[Viking Spawn]

Enjoy!  Provided you like insects that "pray."  ("Prey?")


The MANTIS



LINK:

http://lesdaniels0.wix.com/themantis

[Halichoeres]

Mantises are SO. COOL. They don't do so well up here, but hey, give global warming a few more years...

[Viking Spawn]

Mantises are SO. COOL. They don't do so well up here, but hey, give global warming a few more years...

I think the European species would have a better success in your area.  Given they hatch later and mature faster.

I also love these things too!  I can experience them every year just 50 feet from my back door!

I find it troubling that some people view them as an invasive species and try to eradicate them by destroying their egg nests in the winter.   If they would just do a little more research, they would see that their presence on local wildlife populations is not devastating at all.  (I've only noticed an decline in the number of larger spiders where some mantid colonies are abundant). I've had a few arguments with so called "educated" people over this topic.  But oh well.  Luckily, there are plenty more people that love them than those that do not.

[deanm]

European Mantis does well in southern Ontario. I have seen and marvelled over them for the last 10 years that I have lived here.

There is also an native species of ground mantid also in Canada (and I expect the us also) in Southern Alberta and southern BC.  That one I have not seen. I would like to as it looks cool.

[deanm]

I went back to one of my undergrad texts.  Number 15 in the insects and arachnids of Canada series.  The Grasshoppers, Crickets, and related insects (Cockroaches, termites, stick insects, mantids, earwigs, and rock-crawlers).

In Canada there are the following mantids

Litaneuttria minor (Scudder) - a ground mantid in southern British Columbia and Alberta
Mantis religiosa religiosa Linnaeus - European Mantid - southern Ontario and southern Quebec
Tenodera aridifolia sinensis Saussure - Chinese Mantid - southern Ontario and southern Quebec

I would expect that in Chicago area you would be able to find the European and Chinese mantid also.


and to answer the other question it was an entomology course - quite cool so I keep the book

[Halichoeres]

Good to know! Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. I minored in entomology in college, and you better believe I kept every single relevant book.

[Viking Spawn]

I can easily see those 2 species thriving well in the southern parts of Ontario Canada.  That's not too far from me and I also know they persist in Pennsylvania, southern Michigan, and New York. 

I also assume both exist in Illinois since its climate is much like Ohio's as well.

[Halichoeres]

I can easily see those 2 species thriving well in the southern parts of Ontario Canada.  That's not too far from me and I also know they persist in Pennsylvania, southern Michigan, and New York. 

I also assume both exist in Illinois since its climate is much like Ohio's as well.

I'm sure you're right. It's a bit drier here, but that probably doesn't make much of a difference, especially in cultivated areas.

[Viking Spawn]

I can easily see those 2 species thriving well in the southern parts of Ontario Canada.  That's not too far from me and I also know they persist in Pennsylvania, southern Michigan, and New York. 

I also assume both exist in Illinois since its climate is much like Ohio's as well.

I'm sure you're right. It's a bit drier here, but that probably doesn't make much of a difference, especially in cultivated areas.

This is actually the best time of year to verify their colonization.  Their egg cases are easily spotted and usually a couple of feet above the ground on a branch.  The best places to check are old fields or meadows where the wildflowers have reclaimed it.   You may be surprised on how many you may find.

[Halichoeres]

I can easily see those 2 species thriving well in the southern parts of Ontario Canada.  That's not too far from me and I also know they persist in Pennsylvania, southern Michigan, and New York. 

I also assume both exist in Illinois since its climate is much like Ohio's as well.

I'm sure you're right. It's a bit drier here, but that probably doesn't make much of a difference, especially in cultivated areas.

This is actually the best time of year to verify their colonization.  Their egg cases are easily spotted and usually a couple of feet above the ground on a branch.  The best places to check are old fields or meadows where the wildflowers have reclaimed it.   You may be surprised on how many you may find.

Awesome, thanks!