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Carolina Mantis hatchlings

Kelly McGowan suggests looking garden helpers this time of year.  Preying mantis egg cases, called an ootheca, start as soft and foamy but quickly dry to a stiff papery case.  This time of year before leaf out they are more visible, glued to bare branches which can be trimmed off and put in your garden.  When the young emerge, they will spread out and patrol for a variety of pests.  They have to make a quick getaway and hide to avoid being eaten by their siblings.

Chinese Mantis - Wikipedia

The largest and most common species I find are non-native Chinese Mantis (Tenodera sinensis) with the next largest being the native Carolina.  Chinese are larger and vary in color from overall green to brown with a distinctive green lateral stripe on the borders of the front wings.  The Carolina are tan to brown and 2/3rds the size but big enough to get the job done.  

Like the Ozark Bald Knobbers of history, they may also get some innocent victims ranging from butterflies to the rare hummingbird but in your vegetable garden they are more likely to encounter pests like the invasive brown marmorated stink bug.  You can watch a Chinese Mantis devour one all the way and finish by picking its teeth in this Youtube.  Earlier this year we discussed their sexual cannibalism in this blog.

Finally, if you come upon one of these large mantids you can indulge your inner 5th grader and keep them as a pet in an aquarium.  They are quiet and odorless and feed on a wide variety of insects.  My favorite is offering it a grasshopper with tweezers.  It will hesitate, then strike like lightening, chewing all but the legs. We naturalists know how to have fun!