I found this beautiful lady in front of the CBC last night;

Ok. I’ve been looking for a praying mantis for a long time. I mean, a really long time. Years even.

Last night I finally found one – in front of the CBC. Not on the Leslie Street Spit, in the Don Valley or up in cottage country, but on Front St. She climbed onto my hand with what I swear was a sense of relief. I did the only thing that made sense, I called Tito and we took her home.

This is she – hanging out on my kitchen counter. I say ‘she’ because of a vibe I got, but really I’ve no clue. To my questing photographer’s heart this is the entomological equivalent of having northern lights appear over Lake Ontario.

She was more relaxed in the apartment and spent time time preening herself. She is stunning, delicate, beautifully built and… cute. Really cute.

After getting a few shots we took her down to the Toronto Music Garden and released her there.

That was an unexpected gift. I’ve looked all over southern Ontario for a praying mantis and found one quite literally in my back yard. This morning another friend found one downtown as well, so there may be more – if you live downtown keep an eye out ;)