I saw it as I pulled in the driveway after picking up my little one. The Praying Mantis was making its way up the extension cord right by our side door. It was the first time my daughter had seen one, and she was amazed by it's color and size of about 4 - 5 inches (bigger than our cockroaches). We observed it slowly moving along and I ran it to get my camera. It was harder to photograph than expected with my 18 - 55 mm (which is actually a 24 mm because it doesn't function at any shorter focal length), so I popped on my close-up +1, +2 and +4 lenses. I was able to get this shot before it slipped and slammed into the brick steps. It recovered quickly into the nearby plant, and began its climb again. It stopped to "pray" and I attempted some more shots, but I just couldn't grab a decent one. I ran inside to prep a quick lunch for my daughter. It couldn't have been more than 5 minutes, and by the time I returned it was gone. I was truly surprised that it was able to move that quickly and avoid an extended photo shoot. Actually a bit disappointed, too, that I didn't get to spend more time with it. Never underestimate your time with a Praying Mantis.
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