Praying Mantis

The other day, Tyler and I were out doing some photography. We hadn't really found anything stunning, but just as we decided to call it a day, I spotted this creature on a Queen Anne's Lace:

He's called a Praying Mantis (Tenodera sinesnsis, or Chinese mantis, I believe). He was probably around 5 inches long, and really neat looking. I've seen them before, in fact I used to keep them as pets. Therefore I knew that in spite of a rather spooky appearance, they're quite safe.

I put my hand next to him, and he just climbed right on. Fortunately for me, he was a nice one. Some that I kept as pets were rather spiteful. They'd use their forearms and claw my fingers. It doesn't really hurt when they do that, it just prickles a bit.

Their forearms are normally used for grasping prey while they poison and then eat it. I once saw one eating the head off of a poor little butterfly. Rather sad :)

Their heads are incredible. They have huge antennae, huge eyes, and a lot of little moving mouth parts. Their eyes are particularly fascinating. Though it's hard to tell from my pictures they actually have five of them: two BIG ones and three little ones. The two big ones are obvious. The three little ones are found between the two antennas. The big ones are compound eyes, which give them very good eyesight. The small ones are simple eyes and can't see images or color, only light and dark. All of these eyes, combined with the fact that the praying mantis's head can turn 300 degrees, give them better eyesight than any other insect, having a range of up to 60 feet!

It's amazing to look at those eyes and realize that (when I took the picture anyway!) they're looking back. There's a living creature who can see, feel, and even hear (though he only has one ear, another totally unique characteristic). Life is so astounding. Yet there is one very major distinction between the life of this insect and the life of a Christian: the capacity to know God. Jesus said, "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly," (John 10:10), and later, "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent," (John 17:3). For the believer, there is a new life, a life of knowing God. Let us strive to live the life Jesus came to give us, striving to know more of God. Amen?

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)

Much of my information came from:
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/praying_mantis.php.