I Have Seen The Mantis

And the Mantis was out of range. I was just happy to finally see one of these things! Now I know what to look for. Maybe. Spotting is so critical and the Preying Mantis is something new to me. In Houston, insects like this were lizard food so I really don't look as I should. I was shooting bumble bees on a large planter outside of Longwood Gardens when the Mantis charged something so I was attracted to the movement. I'd been all over the planter with my eyes and this guy eluded me until it moved. Nice.

My mother joined me at Longwood. We walked for an hour. Surprised me when she called as I was just about to walk inside. She drove over! It's been a month plus five days since she had a quadruple bypass. Nuts, I was happy though. I was going to to do fall color on the other side of Longwood but with Mom's arrival we did the flower routes instead. Fewer photos for the day.

I've uploaded some city shots from the summer to Flickr. I have trouble seeing stuff in the city too. Then again I'm not sure what I'm after when shooting. I'm just snapping. Good to review and look again.