Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Mantids Take Brooklyn Bridge Park

I’ll be giving a tour for Brooklyn Bridge Park volunteers tomorrow. What will we see? Here are some of the things I’ve run into in the Park in the two years it has been open. And here’s the latest sighting:Chinese mantid, Tenodera aridifolia. Introduced to the U.S. in the late 19th century to go after pests. They come in green, light brown, and gray forms. I walked past this one thinking it was a scrap of leaf caught on the fence before I did a double-take. The only thing moving was the head; she seemed to be cleaning her leg. Over three inches long. The mantids rate their own order, Mantodea, with at least 2300 species on the planet. The U.S. and Canada have some 20 species. Very distinctive triangular heads, with forelegs often held in the “praying” position which gives them their common name. Will eat just about any insect they can catch, including members of their own species, and they will eat other things as well, including small vertebrates. Maybe it’s the prey that should be praying? This time of year, the females are eating big to get extra energy to produce their eggs, which they deposit in oothecae, one of my favorite words.

mthew

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3 responses to “Mantids Take Brooklyn Bridge Park”

  1. Out Walking the Dog

    Hope you get a great turn-out. Cool photos.

    Reply
  2. mthew

    I’m informed the 15 spots for the tour went faster than tickets for tonight’s Jay-Z bread and circuses opening of the Bankster’s Center Rust Bowl.

    Reply
  3. Karen Orlando

    http://wh.gov/BRZ1

    i like the contrast between the mantid and the sort of industrial/city landscape with the fence and wall.

    matthew..i don’t know if you are aware that the bill that will give a piece of FB over to the gas industry passed very quietly in the senate late last week. i copied a link to a new petition written by a FB gardener to appeal for a veto from pres.obama if it makes it through the house again in mid-november. there’s a signup process first and then an email from the site. the petition goes straight to the administration. (if you are interested and maybe a tweeter along with a blogger?) hope it was a good day in another park on the other end of brooklyn for you.

    Reply

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