# Went out today. Tons of pics.



## Rick (Sep 20, 2009)

Found quite a few carolina mantids, one brunners mantis, some ooths, and some other surprises. No carolina mantids anywhere here but under the bridges.

The area:



























Bird Grasshopper


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## Rick (Sep 20, 2009)

Spider egg sac. These were everywhere.


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## Rick (Sep 20, 2009)

First mantis. Female carolina:






caterpillar











Immature mantis. Odd this time of year. Found two of these.


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## Rick (Sep 20, 2009)

Mantis and her ooth
















Deformed ooth


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## Rick (Sep 20, 2009)

Hatched:






Another one hatched:






Peeking at me:


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## Rick (Sep 20, 2009)

Another female nearby:






Green female:






I spy a mantis butt:






What happened here?!


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## Rick (Sep 20, 2009)

See it? Not a mantis:











Smooth Green Snake! These are arboreal and eat insects:
















Ooth:


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## Rick (Sep 20, 2009)

Brunners mantis:
















Flowers in the middle of the open:






Tree Frog:






Another smooth green snake! These are hard to find let alone finding two in a day:


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## agent A (Sep 20, 2009)

Nice pics and nice watch! Hey in that first mantis pic I don't see the mantis, and I don't see the mantis butt. Also, that katydid that you saw on the bridge, was that the same one as the one in the spider web?


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## agent A (Sep 20, 2009)

hey you found a green treefrog! Sorry bout this post but I didn't see the frog pic at first. My computer isn't really loading that fast. Anyway you're fnding mantids but here in CT it's getting cold! All my lunas are cocoons now.


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## Rick (Sep 20, 2009)

agent A said:


> hey you found a green treefrog! Sorry bout this post but I didn't see the frog pic at first. My computer isn't really loading that fast. Anyway you're fnding mantids but here in CT it's getting cold! All my lunas are cocoons now.


89 degrees here this week. Won't be cold for awhile. You see I am still finding immature mantids. That was not the same katydid that was on the pillar. I found probably 50 of those big spiders and probably twice that many of their giant egg sacs. You're blind if you don't see that female mantids butt.


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## sbugir (Sep 20, 2009)

Rick, nice pics, as for the green snakes, do you keep them? I find it very interesting that you said they're hard to find I've seen em everywhere on the east coast, and at specialty reptile stores they sell em for 5.99 each (even here in CO). Nonetheless very beautiful snakes. As for the brunners mantis, can you find em in CO? They're pretty cool lol.


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## Katnapper (Sep 20, 2009)

I love the "peeking at me" photos!!  I saw the butt.... and the black butted one, hmmm. Was it still alive, or did it seem on it's "last leg?" Just wondering with that degree of injury/sickness. And in the one pic, I believe I saw a walking stick. Nice pics. Looks like you had a good day!  

I've got a series like this when I went mantid hunting recently... will have to post my pics also.


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## Rick (Sep 20, 2009)

lemmiwinks said:


> Rick, nice pics, as for the green snakes, do you keep them? I find it very interesting that you said they're hard to find I've seen em everywhere on the east coast, and at specialty reptile stores they sell em for 5.99 each (even here in CO). Nonetheless very beautiful snakes. As for the brunners mantis, can you find em in CO? They're pretty cool lol.


I've only found one before. They are known to be hard to find since they live in trees. You may have found something else like a garter snake. No brunners in Co. They are found from NC on down. Florida and the southeast. Probably some in other southern states too I would imagine.



Katnapper said:


> I love the "peeking at me" photos!!  I saw the butt.... and the black butted one, hmmm. Was it still alive, or did it seem on it's "last leg?" Just wondering with that degree of injury/sickness. And in the one pic, I believe I saw a walking stick. Nice pics. Looks like you had a good day!  I've got a series like this when I went mantid hunting recently... will have to post my pics also.


It was dead but was still hanging in the foliage. Looked like something ripped its abdomen open. No walking sticks unless I took a pic of one and didn't even see it. There must be something else in the photo I was looking at. Which pic?


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## kamakiri (Sep 20, 2009)

Thanks for taking the time to share. Very interesting and educational. Love the peeking pics too.


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## d17oug18 (Sep 20, 2009)

look at you all brave with 1000's of what looks like deadly spiders everywhere lol. After the 3rd one i woulda told myself, maybe this is a dangerous place to look lol, but not you ^_^ .


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## Rick (Sep 20, 2009)

d17oug18 said:


> look at you all brave with 1000's of what looks like deadly spiders everywhere lol. After the 3rd one i woulda told myself, maybe this is a dangerous place to look lol, but not you ^_^ .


They were everywhere but they don't bother me.


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## Katnapper (Sep 20, 2009)

> No walking sticks unless I took a pic of one and didn't even see it. There must be something else in the photo I was looking at. Which pic?


This one... I was guessing a walking stick in the middle there.... that's the only thing I could possibly think or see that it might be. But now I think it's just a stem/stick.  So what was it?


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## agent A (Sep 20, 2009)

no I think there's a snake in there somewhere. hey did you see my pictures? go to that topic Agent A's Pics and tell me what you think!


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## Rick (Sep 20, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> This one... I was guessing a walking stick in the middle there.... that's the only thing I could possibly think or see that it might be. But now I think it's just a stem/stick.  So what was it?


Nope. Just a twisty part of vine. The snake is in there though. See it?


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## idolomantis (Sep 20, 2009)

Nice pics there Rick, looks like a neat area, i wish we had that kinda stuff her  

(Ps lol why no velociraptors? those things are hilarious)


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## AmandaLynn (Sep 20, 2009)

Very cool photos! I wish there were wild mantis' where I live, and awesome green tree snakes.


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## revmdn (Sep 20, 2009)

Great pics, I also love the peeking mantis. I should really go out for a "hunt". The kid is still recovering from her broken leg, so we haven't been out as much the last two months. It seems like the only time I get outside is to run, mow the lawn and tend to my gourd/pumpkin patch.


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## Katnapper (Sep 20, 2009)

Took me a while... hehe... but I think I see it now. Is this the snake?


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## Rick (Sep 20, 2009)

AmandaLynn said:


> Very cool photos! I wish there were wild mantis' where I live, and awesome green tree snakes.


There should be mantids in Wa.


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## charleyandbecky (Sep 20, 2009)

Oh, wow! These pictures are great. That place is a goldmine (maybe a mantis mine)! I love the peeking mantis picture, and I feel bad for the poor dead mantis. The snakes are great, too.

I'm still seeing some immature carolinas around here as well (metro Atlanta area). It'll be warm here for a while too. The biggest mantis I've ever found was in November!

Thanks for sharing these great pics, and I thought it was a walking stick, too!

Rebecca


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## Rick (Sep 20, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> Took me a while... hehe... but I think I see it now. Is this the snake?


Yep. I had my head several inches from that plant looking for mantids when I saw the snake looking at me right in the face. If it had been a venomous snake I would have been bitten, again. Good thing those snakes don't hang around in trees like that.


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## Katnapper (Sep 20, 2009)

Rick said:


> Yep. I had my head several inches from that plant looking for mantids when I saw the snake looking at me right in the face. If it had been a venomous snake I would have been bitten, again. Good thing those snakes don't hang around in trees like that.


Whew!!!! I looked really long and hard to find it, lol. I wasn't going to give up or I could imagine some more hints at going to the eye doctor! Glad you weren't bitten. I've yet to encounter a snake while mantid hunting. Guess I've been lucky... as I admit I'm somewhat scared of them.

PS... Were you bitten by a poisionous snake in the past?


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## AmandaLynn (Sep 20, 2009)

Rick said:


> There should be mantids in Wa.


Yep, there are, but not so much in the part where I live, northwest corner near Canada.


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## Rick (Sep 21, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> Whew!!!! I looked really long and hard to find it, lol. I wasn't going to give up or I could imagine some more hints at going to the eye doctor! Glad you weren't bitten. I've yet to encounter a snake while mantid hunting. Guess I've been lucky... as I admit I'm somewhat scared of them.PS... Were you bitten by a poisionous snake in the past?


Green snakes don't bite so I was good there. I was bitten by a copperhead when I was 12.


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## Katnapper (Sep 21, 2009)

Rick said:


> Green snakes don't bite so I was good there. I was bitten by a copperhead when I was 12.


Egads. Did it require antivenom or did you just suffer until the effects subsided?


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## Rick (Sep 21, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> Egads. Did it require antivenom or did you just suffer until the effects subsided?


I was too scared to tell my dad so I got pretty sick. I finally told him when it hurt so bad I was getting sick. He callled my friend and he told my dad what it looked like and they gave it to me. I almost lost a finger.


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## Katnapper (Sep 21, 2009)

Rick said:


> I was too scared to tell my dad so I got pretty sick. I finally told him when it hurt so bad I was getting sick. He callled my friend and he told my dad what it looked like and they gave it to me. I almost lost a finger.


Kids!!!


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## ABbuggin (Sep 21, 2009)

Cool pics. I should take some pics of the two places I go to find mantids. One is all chinese, and the other is chinese/brunner. Carolina are not very common in my area. Dare I say I see more brunner than calolinas. &lt;_&lt;


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## Rick (Sep 21, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> Cool pics. I should take some pics of the two places I go to find mantids. One is all chinese, and the other is chinese/brunner. Carolina are not very common in my area. Dare I say I see more brunner than calolinas. &lt;_&lt;


Better that then more chinese. I have only found one chinese in this area but under the bridge it is all carolinas. We should get together and hunt since we live close.


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## agent A (Sep 21, 2009)

I think Rick is like the coolest dude ever!


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## bassist (Sep 21, 2009)

I think Rick's a pretty cool guy he takes pics and doesn't afraid of anything.

But in all seriousness I'm interested in what happened to that mantids' abdomen :blink:


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## ABbuggin (Sep 21, 2009)

Rick said:


> Better that then more chinese. I have only found one chinese in this area but under the bridge it is all carolinas. We should get together and hunt since we live close.


Problem is, I like carolinas better. &lt;_&lt; 

I agree that we should go collecting. That would be a lot of fun. Do you think it would be best to wait until next year or just do it this year?


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## Rick (Sep 21, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> Problem is, I like carolinas better. &lt;_&lt; I agree that we should go collecting. That would be a lot of fun. Do you think it would be best to wait until next year or just do it this year?


Well as you know the best time of year is now. Up to you. There are several places here but I have really only looked in a couple.


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## ABbuggin (Sep 21, 2009)

Rick said:


> Well as you know the best time of year is now. Up to you. There are several places here but I have really only looked in a couple.


True. Better me to come to you. There are only a few places by me, and most of them are ones that I have stocked. Let me look for days that would work for me, then I'll get back to you.


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## Rick (Sep 22, 2009)

ABbuggin said:


> Problem is, I like carolinas better. &lt;_&lt; I agree that we should go collecting. That would be a lot of fun. Do you think it would be best to wait until next year or just do it this year?


You like carolina better than brunners? I agree but do find brunners very interesting especially since I have only been around them for a few years and I have been finding carolinas for over twenty years.


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## ismart (Sep 22, 2009)

Great pic's rick! I wonder what happened to that green dead female carolina you found hanging? Looks like some thing ripped open her abdomin.


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## Rick (Sep 22, 2009)

ismart said:


> Great pic's rick! I wonder what happened to that green dead female carolina you found hanging? Looks like some thing ripped open her abdomin.


Could have been anything really. Looks like she got away but couldn't survive a wound like that. I found one last time with a wound to the abdomen but it had crusted over and she was fine.


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## ABbuggin (Sep 22, 2009)

Rick said:


> You like carolina better than brunners? I agree but do find brunners very interesting especially since I have only been around them for a few years and I have been finding carolinas for over twenty years.


No. I like carolina better than chinese.  I like carolina and brunner about the same.


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