PRAYING MANTIS

February - March 2023

I’ve started taking an annual vacation to Florida every winter, to visit family and to rid me of my winter blues. Each vacation inspires me to come home to get back into the swing of creating new work. Every time I visit Florida, the abundance of color and beautiful flora and fauna inspire me to create colorful work. While on vacation I decided to create a praying mantis batch. Also, during this time, my large orchid plant collection started to bloom! Most of the handles were formed to mimic whimsical orchid stems.

Between painting the many species of mantis, with carved orchids, I also sculpted orchids and lady beetle mugs. Almost every piece in this collection was painted with underglaze. It is one of the most colorful batches I’ve created so far!

Praying Mantis facts-

• There are over 2,400 species of praying mantis from around the world.

• A mantis can swivel their head 180 degrees.

• Mantises are not picky eaters. They will even prey on hummingbirds!

• Some mantises cannot fly because they do not have wings.

• The only time female and males come together is to mate.

• A female will eat her mate after he has fertilized her eggs.

• A mantis has one ear, and it is located on its stomach.

• Mantises can hear ultrasound, which helps them stay clear from their bat predators.

• Extra- Lady Beetle fact- Lady beetles have a metamorphosis, similar to butterflies or frogs, they start as an egg, then a creepy crawly, lastly a beetle.