Entry for the Photo Contest

From the country...

While we were outside today ripping weeds, harvesting some onions and making new beds for a fall crop of greens we happened across a Pray Mantis playground. We sure have a great crop of these feisty insects around the farm! This is not the first time we have seen them this year and I have always been partial to the green ladies. Word on the street says that when she is done mating with the male- she eats him!

Anyway we found this lil' lady. She was just lying there dead. It was kind of sad and the kid's made up all these elaborate stories of her demise. Nate found it particularly sad because it appeared she still had eggs in her belly (abdomen?).  But we did get a chance to really look at her which is something we don't usually get the chance to, because like I said they are feisty and well...kinda scary.

So long story short, this is Nate's photo entry for a children's publication. The image needed to be green and from nature.. we added the crayon in the pic for scale and a little bit of tongue and cheek.