Praying mantis strikes a pose in the West Kootenay

Swipe or click to see more Swipe or click to see more Caught peeking over the petals, this praying mantis appears every bit as curious about the photographer as the photographer was about it. Brenda Haley captured the charming summertime encounter in her Genelle backyard. (Brenda Haley) Swipe or click to see more Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... It's not every day a garden visitor appears quite so ready for its close-up. Brenda Haley captured this striking image of a praying mantis peeking over the petals of a flower, offering a close look at one of the more distinctive insects now found across southern British Columbia. With its triangular head, large eyes and powerful front legs folded in the familiar 'praying' position, a mantis is difficult to mistake for much else. While the insects may look exotic, praying mantises have a long history in B.C., including an introduced species whose range has expanded into the Kootenays. The European mantis (Mantis religiosa) was introduced from Ontario into the southern Interior in 1937 and 1938 in an attempt to control grasshoppers, according to research by B.C. entomologist Robert Cannings. The introductions became established in the southern Okanagan, where populations persisted between Okanagan Falls and Osoyoos. By the late 1990s, however, the insect was on the move. Cannings documented the European mantis expanding north to at least Kamloops and east to Nelson. A later account by Cannings reported the species had reached the Nelson area by 2004 and, based on more recent observations, was found across southern B.C. as far east as Invermere and Cranbrook. B.C. is also home to the native ground mantis (Litaneutria minor), a smaller species associated primarily with the dry grasslands of the southern Okanagan. European mantises grow to about 47 to 56 millimetres long and occur in both green and brown forms. Their colouring provides camouflage as they wait among vegetation for prey. Mantises are predators equipped with large, spiny front legs designed to grab and hold other insects. Rather than being particularly useful pest-control specialists, they are generalist hunters and will take a variety of insects that venture within reach. Male or female? Determining the sex of a mantis can take a closer look than Haley's photograph provides. In the European mantis, females are generally larger and more robust, reaching about 52 to 56 millimetres, while males are smaller and more slender at about 47 to 51 millimetres. Both sexes have wings. Females lay their eggs in masses known as oothecae, which harden into protective cases attached to twigs and other surfaces. In B.C., the eggs overwinter before hatching, while adults generally begin appearing in August. The insects are also famous — or perhaps infamous — for sexual cannibalism, in which a female may eat a male during or after mating. It can happen, particularly when a female is hungry, but it isn't the inevitable fate of every male mantis. If you have a recent photo to share with Trail Times readers, email sheri.regnier@trailtimes.ca.