Copyright ©2026 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Two weekends ago I was passing my backdoor when I caught a Desert fence lizard going after a big European Praying Mantis. The lizard had the Mantis on the run then quick as lightening it sprang for it! Perceiving the Lizard’s move, in a flash the Mantis did this amazing spin and came up in a fighting stance and punched the lizard. The lizard backed up just a bit. There they stood each looking at each other for minutes. I’d run to get my phone and camera. The lizard sensing me ran off, but the Praying Mantis changed poses and stared right at me! It was a Nat Geo moment!!
Now, I’m on my stomach with my camera at my face with the door open only 10 ft from the Mantis. It was staring at me intently, not moving. Just poised to strike and staring at me. I don’t mind telling you that was eerie. I thought, oh man, if it flies at me I won’t be able to close the door in time! It’s going to get me!! Do they bite? All this went through my head in a second. Mesmerized I didn’t move, well, other than my shutter finger taking photos. Oh, and my sister and had been texting right before all this started so I began giving her play by play texts. Both of us now caught up in the drama. 😂
I looked around and spied the lizard. It had run to the shade under my whirling Butterfly Guaro plant and the Praying Mantis just stood there staring at me.
I grabbed some really crumby stills from the even crumbier short video I managed to make. I apologize. A videographer I am not.
The fighting pose…
The stand off…but ready to fight!
Startled pose, staring at me.
European Praying Mantis
After 10 minutes it dropped to the ground and began crawling toward me. It was then that I saw it was injured. A broken leg I think. Then a gust of wind came through and carried the mantis to the edge of my patio. It began crawling back toward me but, veered a bit and headed ever so slowly toward my outdoor dining table. It got under the table and I lost sight of it. I looked for it later and the following day, but I’ve not seen it since.
Meanwhile, my sister having seen the photos was doing research on the type of Praying Mantis it was. She identified it as the European Praying Mantis by the two eye like ovals on its body.
Then I looked up how they got here.
Fun Facts:
In 1899 it was accidently introduced from Europe by ship with plant shipments and garden nursery items. It was found in New York in 1899. There is some speculation that it may have arrived much earlier.
In the 1930’s they were introduced to help with the Gypsy Moth (Spongy Moth) population. Since then they have been moving west, and are even in parts of Canada. It is considered invasive, but the impact is less severe than other larger invasive Praying Mantis…the Chinese Praying Mantis.
Praying Mantis eat pollinators like bees, and butterflies so it is worth keeping an eye on them. Its own cannibalism, and predation by birds keeps the population from exploding.
They’re a low grade ecological concern, and are well integrated in the US.
Information gleaned from the Internet.
It was a really exciting hour.
I hope you’re all having a great week!
more to come…
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