A praying mantis on a hot summer day

Praying mantis on clothesline

He patiently looked at my camera as I took a number of photos.

As the wind blew the dry curtains, he worked his way along the clothesline.

Riding a curtain panel in the warm breeze

I washed curtains early this morning and hung them outside to dry since it's a warm, sunny day. At mid-day, when I went out to gather in the dry curtain panels, a praying mantis was sitting on the curtains ... so I returned to the house for my camera because he was very patiently looking at me as I was looking at him. They are not uncommon at this time of year as the summer days play out in mid- to late-August. I took a number of photos, not sure what would turn out, and then urged him to continue along the clothesline.

He was a gorgeous specimen and slowly turned his head this way and that to look at me with those googly eyes, and was perfectly content to ride the flapping curtain panels, sure-footed and regal, and to stay where he was. But I wanted to take them inside to iron and put back on the windows so finally pushed him along until he reached the end of the line. The last I saw of him, he was flying away toward a group of sassafras trees.

As circadas droned nearby, I gathered in the curtains and headed back to the house to iron and then blog about the praying mantis who had been a part of my day.

It's summer in the Shenandoah Valley....

Photos by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
August 17, 2009