# Greetings



## blind_angel16 (Aug 22, 2011)

Hi there. I'm Jordan, a teen from a small town in Iowa who just last week found something I was searching for all summer: a mantis. I had experience with mantids before, albeit not very much experience. A year ago I had two mantids, a brown mantis and a green mantis, both of the species _Tenodera sinensis_. One morning, I woke up to find only the green mantis in my cage. That wasn't the only tragedy to befall the mantids I had. Later, the green mantis who had eaten the brown suffered an injury while molting, permanently disfiguring its back legs. I decided to release it into the wild, since it was entirely my fault for the damage of each mantis.

A year later, I wanted a second chance at taking care of a mantis. I searched almost everyday. We live on a farm, so we had areas where grass and trees grew extremely tall; but even so, there was no sign of a mantis. It was early in the summer, so I thought maybe they weren't out yet. However, with fall coming sooner and sooner, I thought I'd never find one before school starts.

Last Thursday, I was helping my grandfather pull out some small trees out of the ditch in front of our house with the family tractor. In the last tree we pulled, I looked down and saw what I searched for all summer; I found a mantis. The first thought that went through my mind was, I'm not going to let it get away this time. Not today. I completely forgot about the tractor and my grandfather and chased after the mantis, hearing my grandfather on his tractor shouting behind me. I finally caught it and got it inside, and my sister put it inside of a jar I prepared in case I found a mantis. I went back to complete my work, with my grandpa bombarding me with questions about what I was going after and if I put it inside (a note to the reader: my grandfather does not like having creatures inside the house. It's surprising enough that he let us have three cats in our house, and I didn't know what he would say if I brought an insect inside). The mantis I found was the same species as the two I had before, a _Tenodera sinensis_, and I named her after Nikiesha, a very good friend of mine, but cut the name down to Niki. The picture with this Topic is one I took of her today.

*TL;DR version:* Name's Jordan. Had two mantids, but they died/were released. Found a new mantis the next year. Named her Niki. End.

Anyway, that's how I got my mantis. I'm still new at raising mantids, but I hope I will learn new things from people here at Mantid Forum and use what I learn to take care of my new pet and friend, Niki.

Edit: It turns out although I thought I was raising European Mantids, or _Mantis religiosa_, my mantids were in fact Chinese mantids, otherwise known as _Tenodera sinensis_. A big thank you to mantidsaresweet for letting me know.


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## mantidsaresweet (Aug 23, 2011)

Hello Jordan, first of all welcome to the forum from another teen. This place is great if you are interested in mantids.

Secondly that was a great story and I'm glad you were able to find one. I hope your grandpa lets you keep her.

And lastly, I believe that mantis in the picture is one of Tenodera sinensis (Chinese mantis) not Mantis religiosa. The green strip along it's wing is a dead give away for a chinese mantis. Also a T. sinensis is much larger (4 inches or more) than the M. religiosa (around 2 inches). Either way its a great find.

Glad to have you here.


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## PhilinYuma (Aug 23, 2011)

Welcome to the Forum, Jordan! That's a great story. I hope that Nikiesha is appropriately impressed. You certainly didn't need the TL;DR ("too long;don't read" says Sunny, reading over my shoulder) version.  

Since this so well written and because you use absolutely correct form in italicizing the binomial (shows me up, dunnit?), I'll mention that the genus name always takes a capitalized initial letter, so welcome, too, Niki, _Mantis religiosa_ !

Edit: The older I get, the slower i get. When I saw your siggy, I was thinking in my old, slow way, of Gabriel Jackson's "Not no faceless angel", but am I right in thinking that it is really based on "Color blind angel" by the late, great Robin Rogers? If not, break it to me gently!


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## blind_angel16 (Aug 23, 2011)

mantidsaresweet said:


> Hello Jordan, first of all welcome to the forum from another teen. This place is great if you are interested in mantids.
> 
> Secondly that was a great story and I'm glad you were able to find one. I hope your grandpa lets you keep her.
> 
> ...


Wow, you're right. I don't know my mantids very well. I'll change that immediately. Thanks for the welcome. My grandpa let me keep her, but he's still hesitant about it. He thought she was a katydid at first and sometimes calls her that as a joke, and keeps telling me I should release her, but he's still letting me keep Niki, so that's good, right?



PhilinYuma said:


> Welcome to the Forum, Jordan! That's a great story. I hope that Nikiesha is appropriately impressed. You certainly didn't need the TL;DR ("too long;don't read" says Sunny, reading over my shoulder) version.
> 
> Since this so well written and because you use absolutely correct form in italicizing the binomial (shows me up, dunnit?), I'll mention that the genus name always takes a capitalized initial letter, so welcome, too, Niki, _Mantis religiosa_ !
> 
> Edit: The older I get, the slower i get. When I saw your siggy, I was thinking in my old, slow way, of Gabriel Jackson's "Not no faceless angel", but am I right in thinking that it is really based on "Color blind angel" by the late, great Robin Rogers? If not, break it to me gently!


I haven't told Nikiesha yet, but I plan to soon. I wonder what she'll think of her? Thanks for letting me know about the capitalization error. I was mulling over that for quite a while. :lol: Sorry to say it, but my username doesn't have to do with either song. It's a rather long story about myself becoming a Christian. I've used that username for practically everything since then.


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## Rick (Aug 23, 2011)

Welcome


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## Malti (Aug 23, 2011)

welcome


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## blind_angel16 (Aug 23, 2011)

Rick said:


> Welcome





Malti said:


> welcome


Thank you for the welcome.


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 23, 2011)

Hello and welcome, your story was good. tks and hope gramps is hard of seeing! :tt2:


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## Ryan.M (Aug 23, 2011)

Welcome to the forum Jordan!


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## blind_angel16 (Aug 23, 2011)

hibiscusmile said:


> Hello and welcome, your story was good. tks and hope gramps is hard of seeing! :tt2:


Thank you for the welcome. I decided to move Niki from our cold basement downstairs to my computer room/hallway; I'd have to do it this winter anyway. My grandpa's 72, but he's in great condition for his age, so he'd notice I brought her upstairs. He doesn't like technology much and never uses the computer though, so I think Niki's safe from detection for a while. :lol: 



Ryan.M said:


> Welcome to the forum Jordan!


Thanks for welcoming me to the forum.


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## RevWillie (Aug 23, 2011)

Greetings Jordan! I hope the real Nikiesha is as impressed with Niki as I am!


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## blind_angel16 (Aug 23, 2011)

RevWillie said:


> Greetings Jordan! I hope the real Nikiesha is as impressed with Niki as I am!


Thanks. I just emailed Nikiesha about her. I hope she feels the same way I do about Niki.


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## catfish (Aug 23, 2011)

Great story and welcome! My sympathies on the 'drop everything to chase an insect'. I have a _Tenodera sinensis_ too, although I had to buy mine. Well over an hours' bus ride each way in the rain. I've never seen one wild. I've only had Tweeg a day, so I can't really offer any helpful advice.


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## PhilinYuma (Aug 23, 2011)

blind_angel16 said:


> @Hibiscusmile:
> 
> Thank you for the welcome. I decided to move Niki from our cold basement downstairs to my computer room/hallway; I'd have to do it this winter anyway. _*My grandpa's 72, but he's in great condition for his age, *_so he'd notice I brought her upstairs. He doesn't like technology much and never uses the computer though, so I think Niki's safe from detection for a while. :lol:
> 
> ...


Yeah, most old farts are pretty much past it when they get to that age. Time for the freezer (or brick), I say!  :lol:


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## blind_angel16 (Aug 23, 2011)

catfish said:


> Great story and welcome! My sympathies on the 'drop everything to chase an insect'. I have a _Tenodera sinensis_ too, although I had to buy mine. Well over an hours' bus ride each way in the rain. I've never seen one wild. I've only had Tweeg a day, so I can't really offer any helpful advice.


I guess that makes us both new to raising a _Tenodera sinensis_. I hope we can both help each other to take care of and raise Niki and Tweeg the best that we can.  Oh yeah, I also found two more mantids the same day I found Niki. She was the first one I saw, though, and I thought at the moment one was enough (until my grandparents and mom get used to Niki, at least), so I didn't catch them.



PhilinYuma said:


> Yeah, most old farts are pretty much past it when they get to that age. Time for the freezer (or brick), I say!  :lol:


Maybe most, but not him!


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## ismart (Aug 24, 2011)

Welcome to the forum!


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## blind_angel16 (Aug 24, 2011)

ismart said:


> Welcome to the forum!


Thank you ismart.


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## Malti (Aug 24, 2011)

Q. was the lady friend impressed? if yes, she's a keeper


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## blind_angel16 (Aug 24, 2011)

Malti said:


> Q. was the lady friend impressed? if yes, she's a keeper


No reply yet. But I hope Nikiesha will like Niki.  

Edit: She said: "Eh, I've never really been that big of a fan of bugs. But I must admit the Praying Mantises are extremely interesting.  I like the name.  "


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