Praying Mantis: Denver

Last weekend, I spent most of Sunday preparing a section of my garden for next spring’s planting of native species in the hopes of creating a more wildlife-friendly space. I was clearing water-hungry plants from a small plot and amending the soil with organic fertilizer and mycorrhizae – the good stuff plants love. In the midst of the activity, I noticed a large insect crossing the sidewalk adjacent to the plot. I think it must’ve been disturbed by the hullabaloo in its environs. As I moved in for a closer look, I identified the creature as a praying mantis. The last time I saw a praying mantis was in January at Carara National Park in Costa Rica and I’ve always thought of mantises as being tropical residents. Forget the fact that I’ve seen mantis eggs for sale at plant nurseries here in Denver.


Upon my discovery, I immediately grabbed the cameras (yes, plural). I wanted still photos and video footage of this garden visitor. After the photo shoot, I went inside to research the presence of praying mantises in Colorado. Here’s some of what I learned.

Praying mantises have a long history in human lore. The word “mantis” has a Greek origin that refers to a soothsayer (one who claims to be able to foretell events or predicts the future; a seer). The “praying” part of the name comes from the insect’s ambush posture when the two front legs are bent, as if in prayer. Praying mantises are daytime carnivores that only eat live prey and their favorite delicacies are soft-bodied insects like flies. If a prey item happens by, the mantis reaches out quickly, and spines on its forelegs aid in pinching the prey to keep it still until immobilized (I’ve intentionally omitted the gory details).


The bulls-eye on the inside of this mantis’ forelegs is characteristic of the species Mantis religiosa, a European native, but a species now well-established in Colorado. This is also the same species I encountered at Carara National Park. Members of Mantis religiosa first arrived in the U.S. years ago as passengers on plants. I guess you could say this garden visitor had ancestors that were “world travelers”. As a result, I didn’t have to travel further than my own front yard to see this species up close and personal. I wonder if this mantis was acting as a soothsayer, predicting that the grass was greener on the other side of the yard.