I stopped at the local drugstore a week or so ago and could not resist the display of little Venus Flytraps by the entrance. Like candy at the checkout counter is a nifty flesh-eating flora to someone like me. I bought one for myself and one for a good friend whom I knew would appreciate it.
A few days later this friend called me up and told me about her new praying mantis babies. I didn't wait for an offer, but begged half a dozen off of her. She doesn't lose anything, really, by giving a few away as they will eventually just start eating each other until one giant super-mantis is left. Right now they are only about half an inch long, really cute and dainty looking.
We went to the pet store and bought some flightless fruit flies, dumped them into the mantis enclosure and watched them go at it. It was amazing. The mantises were all eating within five minutes, holding their yummy little flies in their crooked forelegs like little submarine sandwiches. One fruit fly escaped through the mesh top on the large jar, but, unfortunately for the fruit fly, it wandered over to the Venus Flytrap and met its end in equally dramatic fashion. We somehow missed the closing of the flytrap's jaws, but could see the little bug inside, moving around for hours. The next morning the little guy was finally still.
Stay tuned for photos once these babies are big enough for me to get a decent shot.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment