Mantis religiosa in the kitchen garden

While weeding the kitchen garden this afternoon, we were pleasantly surprised to see a praying mantis (Santa Teresa in Spanish and bidsprinkhaan in Dutch) sitting quietly on a red leaf of a strawberry plant. It is commonly known that the colour of this European mantis is a natural camouflage. They can be green, grey or brownish, depending on their habitat. To see a bright green sample on a red autumn leaf we thought to be so special, that we immediately went in search of our camera. After having taken a few pictures, it slowly started to move. While looking at this insect from a different position, we saw that it had to be a female on the verge of laying eggs. We wouldn´t mind seeing more mantises on our finca next year, as they are such striking, beautiful insects.