A Busy Morning

This praying mantis has just built her second ootheca. She found her own way into the greenhouse after she’d built her main ootheca outside close to the door. For weeks she has been living on the amaranth, which is in a pot just inside the door. The right-hand shot is an enlargement of her handiwork attached to amaranth flowers. It has only 9 or 10 cells, which is about half a full sized one.

She is taking a break on the surface of the pot. Her short antenna makes her distinctive and easy to recognise.