mowing and mantis

That suicide pact I mentioned the other day isn't limited to just deer. Apparently bunnies want in on it also.

I was mowing the lawn this evening and that bunny you see on the left almost got run over. I was using a 6.5 hp gas mower so it was quite loud but that rabbit didn't move a muscle. I was only one row away from the furry critter before I noticed it. This time, unlike the deer, I remembered to take a picture.

Oddly enough, as soon as the flash went off that rabbit took off across my yard and then the guy's yard behind me. But think about it. This rabbit stayed put during multiple passes of my loud lawn mower, as close as 2 feet away, it also stayed there while I went into my house and got my camera--but when it knew I was taking a picture... off it went. Pretty weird.

This was the next critter to catch my eye while mowing. It was only a few minutes after I took the picture of the rabbit that I passed this lovely girl. And since I have a thing for bugs--I had to take more pictures.

I couldn't get much detail on the Praying Mantis while it was on the ground though so I picked it up for a few more shots. Check them out below. Click on the pictures to get the bigger pictures. They have great detail on those wicked front "claws". These are really the nasty brutes of the insect world! They really blend in quite well with the grass too. Nice camouflage.



Comments

rosemary said…
Cute little bunny....you know Dave...deer are really quite stupid...sadly. Scary mantis.

So do you like your face with or without facial hair???
8:53 PM
SassyAssy said…
The buggy looks rather intense.
11:06 PM
kenju said…
The mantis sure wasn't afraid of you! Must be the lack of facial hair....LOL

Our yard bunny, the one I photographed last spring, hopped across our deck this week. What do rabbits do in cold weather, Dave?
12:32 AM
Into the Light said…
Bunnies tend to think that if they are very still you can't see them. But they run off if you get too close.

When I read this, I had an image of the trick-or-treaters coming by to watch the crazy old man play with bugs and critters. LOL. I guess this was earlier though...
6:36 AM
ribbiticus said…
oh my! that mantis sure was h-u-g-e! almost seemed like he belonged in "a bug's life" in the last shot. ;)
10:49 AM
ribbiticus said…
just got to check out your latest photo. much better! you look like a young donald sutherland! ;)
10:52 AM
Janet said…
Great shot of the mantis...I love those things! Haven't seen one in years, tho.
1:27 PM
Carli N. Wendell said…
Stay away from the rabbit, Tenz. It's duck season!

But yeah, weird that he wasn't afraid of the choppy blades of the mower, but terrified of a harmless camera.

That could have been a really messy, bloody lawn. Makes me happy I live in the city.

Back from M.'s.
4:33 PM
HRH Courtney, Queen of Everything said…
Michele sent me to say she's very glad you didn't hit the bunny. And also, to plug both of my sites.
http://onlynorth.blogspot.com
http://midvaleschool.blogspot.com
5:26 PM
The English Student said…
I used to hold all types of insects. The Preying Mantis was one of my favorites. I could never find them but when I did it was a great thing.
8:46 PM
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