Ageing Female

This mantis was enjoying the brief sunshine and snacking on passing flies. She has been blipped before, on the 2nd March when she was quite plump, and four days later when she met the single male. She is fairly slim now, which means she has built her ootheca (egg-case) and laid her eggs. However, I can’t find it in the area she has been living in. As I can’t hunt for it without disturbing her I’ll leave it for now.

I have found the oothecas of the other two females. One was in a very precarious position and would have soon fallen off so I removed it to the small terrarium I keep for the purpose. The other is in a good place. I have not seen these two females and the male for a couple of weeks. This female is easily recognisable by the marks on her wing cases.