Subject: Looking for love in Los Angeles
Geographic location of the bug: Mount Washington
Date: 09/15/2019
Time: 02:02 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Dear Bugman,
I was visiting a dear friend in Mount Washington and spotted this male praying mantis perched on a woody plant.
It appears he is searching for a female.
How you want your letter signed: Melanie on the Irish Chain
Dear Melanie on the Irish Chain,
We agree that this is a male Mantis and that he is likely patrolling for a mate. This is a California Mantis, a native species in the genus Stagmomantis. Last year Daniel documented the mating of a pair of California Mantids that ended with him becoming a sacrificial meal to help nourish the female who promptly bit off the head of her paramour.