Donna and I (Donna Wilcox East High Class of 1962) have been married just short of sixty years and have pretty much liked living close to lakes as we do now. We live in Elkhorn, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha. We live in an apartment on the ground floor and our patio opens to Lake Lawrence Youngman, a sixty-five-acre lake. Fishing in the lake is very good with Walleye being the fish of choice. We have a small boat equipped with a 5hp outboard motor stored in one of the apartment garages. We haven’t used it in the last couple of years because it’s just too hard to manage.
There is a walking path around the lake, some sidewalks, but mostly prairie grass trail. Today was beautiful for a walk around the lake. Partly cloudy, those little white puffy fair-weather-cumulus moving swiftly through the clear blue sky. Sixty-five degrees which is perfect for me. I couldn’t see anyone else on the trail which is also perfect for me.
I hadn’t walked far when I spotted a Wooly Bear caterpillar crossing the path. I know you’ve seen them in the fall. Very fuzzy all over. Black fuzz on their front and rear with a brownish orange in the middle. If you pick them up and pet them gently, they curl up in a ball. They are remarkable for the fact their life span is fifteen years because they survive the cold winters. When it’s time, they turn into pretty moths.
Next, I came on what I believe to be the most intriguing insect of all, a Praying Mantis clinging to a stem of Indian Switch Grass. I think she was praying I wouldn’t see her, but I did. I picked her up and admired her many strange characteristics. Her very tiny triangular head, big beady eyes for the size of her head. Like all insects she has six legs, but the front two are much larger than the other four. She uses the front legs to kill and clasp her prey while she eats. Mantis got their name because those two front legs are often in a prayer like position. The female mantis can be a bit of a cannibal. Many times, just after mating, she kills and eats her lover rather than just having a cigarette. If I’m a male Praying Mantis, then I’m celibate!
I transferred the mantis from my hand to my shoulder thinking she might enjoy the walk and I wouldn’t mind the company. Oh boy, a Garter Snake a little over a foot long I’d say. Of course, I picked it up and cradled it between my forearm and chest. It seemed to settle in, enjoying the warmth of my body. I checked to see how the mantis was doing. Not well, not well at all! She was most certainly in her praying position as I believe she saw my new passenger. After holding the snake for a while, I decided two was one too many, so I let the Garter go. Bye!
So, that’s about it for this walk, but if I come across something interesting on future walks, I’ll let you know.
Oh, one more thing – near the end of my walk I transferred the mantis from my shoulder to my hand and slung her to the ground and stomped the life out of her because she ate her mate. Hell, yes!
Come on, you know ole Tom wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t hurt a fly!
Also enjoy these Tom Vosper stories:
Living the American Dream in Little League
The Gilbert Street Sled Hill
Do You Believe in Bigfoot?
My oldest son, JT, the major bug and snake catcher brought a praying mantis home. He carefully made a harness of some of my sewing thread and tied it to the dining room table center piece.
We ate all our meals with the mantis. JT fed him raw hamburger and gave him water. After a couple of days, JT returned the creature to the garden and got ready for the next “pet.”
Years later, my youngest grandson wanted a pet and I tried to appease him by buying him a Mexican Jumping Bean. I thought it was a good “beginner pet.” He was not pleased, but I thought it was funny! I started off with Mexican Jumping Beans, but I also was on a farm with lots of big farm animals. The beans went into my pockets and entertained me enormously! now that lad has a 100 lb. Black Lab.
Finally, someone who doesn’t arbitrarily kill snakes! I brake for snakes and scold any workers around here who proudly tell me they’ve run across a snake on our property and killed it. Their assumption is that every snake is bad and needs to be destroyed. I hope I’ve taught the workers to let the snakes live and fulfill their role in the environment.
I haven’t seen one of those cute orange/black woolly snakes for years. What am I missing? Praying mantises were abundant this year, the biggest I’ve ever seen and I’m always delighted to spot them.