First mantis

In advance of a walk I was asked to join, I decided to do a scouting trek to a familiar bit of real estate, the Nature Conservancy's Bell Cedar Swamp refuge. The first part of the jaunt is through a meadow, and this has been a fine location for a great many photo ops. It didn't disappoint this afternoon, but while I was busy searching for dragonflies, grasshoppers, and butterflies, I noticed someone in the blackberries that I'd quite forgotten about. Last fall, I got some nice close-ups of adult Praying Mantises, and during the winter and spring, I found a number of mantis egg cases. I never did get shots of the tiny insects emerging into the world and they were never obvious during my frequent visits to the refuge. But clearly, they were present and busy. At least one was successful in running that horrific gauntlet that brings you to top dog in the predator department. Here's one of the winners, in search of prey... and a mate.