Chinese Mantis

Fields, gardens, meadows, shrubbery, and urban structures

Carnivorous ambush predator consuming insects, spiders, and occasionally small vertebrates like tiny frogs or hummingbirds

Solitary and diurnal predators that remain motionless waiting to strike prey with raptorial forelegs. Females lay eggs in foamy oothecae in autumn before dying.

Harmless to humans though capable of a minor pinch. Highly beneficial in gardens as generalist biological pest control, though they may also consume beneficial insects.