In late summer the female lays her egg case, which comes out as a frothy secretion which soon hardens into a protective shell. The female generally bites off the males head during mating, and then consumes his body вЂ“ a good meal to help nourish her and her new eggs growing inside. The males seek out the females to breed, attracted by their pheromones. At their last molt, they get their wings and have functioning reproductive systems. The babies molt several times, growing larger each time. As babies, they will eat small insects like gnats and fruit flies, and as they get larger they will eat progressively larger food. They appear thin and worm-like as they hatch, and within a few minutes they start to stretch their legs and crawl around. Several hundred tiny babies squirm their way out and drop from tiny threads. The egg case needs 2-8 weeks of warm weather to hatch. They are usually sold in an egg case (ootheca) containing a few hundred eggs. Tenodera sinensis are a common Mantis variety sold in the U.S. They will eat nearly any insect they can catch, and have even been known to eat small birds, lizards, and rodents on rare occasion. In this posture they are capable of quickly striking prey and holding it in their powerful grip. At rest, Mantids hold their spiny forearms together giving the appearance they are praying. Praying Mantis will sit camouflaged and motionless for long periods of time ready to strike at any food that comes by. They have excellent vision and extraordinary reflexes. There are over 2,300 different types of Praying Mantis, with about 20 species living in North America. It seems this relationship is mutually beneficial. As he enjoys his meal, it almost looks like he winked at you. While you ponder this, a grasshopper lands on a nearby leaf and is instantly snatched and eaten by your garden buddy. You might start to wonder what he could gain from this friendship.

Your garden buddy is content to sit and spend time with you while you work, waiting and watching. There are few friendships you will develop with insects over your lifetime, but the praying mantis truly is a gardenerвЂ™s best friend. He watches you and he watches over your garden. He might even be sitting in the tomato plant you are pruning. He might be over by the shed where you keep the shovel, or hanging out in the fruit tree.

Nearly every gardener has a garden buddy, but many donвЂ™t even know it. But who is a gardenerвЂ™s best friend? What companion do we have that can truly appreciate our gardens nearly as much as we do? Sure, our friends love the shared bounty that comes every year at harvest time, but they arenвЂ™t there while we spend countless hours making it all happen. They say that dog is manвЂ™s best friend, and as a dog lover I have to agree.

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