It has been the summer of the mantis around these parts. Maybe because we’ve had so much wet weather, all of the bug populations have gone nuts? Whatever the reason, I feel like I’ve seen a ton of the alien-esque critters. Including these two:

Think the one of the left is a female Carolina mantis, while the dude on the right (obviously checking her out) is a male European mantis. She’s a little bit country. He’s a little bit rock and roll. She’s a little pregnant. He looks like a tasty snack.

Sheila here starts sauntering over to — er, Nigel? — who sees her coming and just stares. Until she’s barely two inches away, at which point he breaks into a full-on mantis sprint in the opposite direction. Love stinks.

Bored, Sheila starts climbing up some iron work on my porch. Nigel, not getting the idea that she’s just not that into him (except as dinner), follows her. As captured in this rare documentary footage!

[flickr video=3984847697 secret=d5cb4153ae w=400 h=300]

When I last saw our two lovebirds, Nigel was staring at Sheila as she tried to hoist her pregnant bum over the roof line of my porch. I will choose to believe this story had a happy ending.