While mowing this afternoon I was surprised to discover large, fluttering insects amidst the tall flower-like plants that were taking over my parent's yard on Squaw Creek. I have never seen a praying mantis, and here were at least a dozen of the large bugs. I drove slowly and moved every one I came across, though I also stopped each time to get a photo or two. I felt somewhat bad about cutting down their hunting ground, but there were hundreds of grasshoppers about and I did leave several swathes of plants in hopes they would find refuge there until the weedy plants grew up again.
