Carolina mantis

My foxes benefit from any leftover cat food but are just as happy with potato skins, fruit or pretty much any other table scraps I put out for them & the birds! I love to watch all the critters in our yard but I agree with you - wildlife should be left in the wild. The lion project was amazing, though one day I would like to do a more 'hands-on' project - obviously no chance of being hands-on with the lions! :)

Thanks Emma! Your spotting is lovely - he looks so nice & fresh! I don't think they change color but there does seem a lot of variation. We have green, brown & black-winged versions. I haven't personally had any problems with them going for the hummingbirds but now I've seen the video I will relocate any I find around the feeders. I accept they need to hunt to survive but there are plenty of insects here for them. I spent 6 weeks in South Africa doing a lion monitoring project amongst other things. We got to spend a lot of time watching them at night when they are most active & it was really fascinating. One night we saw the whole pride spend an hour 'playing' with a porcupine just like a house cat plays with a mouse before it kills it. Luckily for the porcupine they has eaten already that night & they eventually lost interest so it was able to wander off & live another day! I took a few shots but it was dark so they don't show enough to be worth posting. I hate to see anything suffer but I guess it is just nature & every species (except for man) just does what it needs to do to survive.

Thanks p.young!

Thanks Doina! I was after an atmospheric shot so I just used ambient light & kept my fingers crossed I wouldn't get too much camera shake.