This 9cm long insect had my kids’ full attention for more than 45 mins today. The praying mantis was first spotted by Keatkeat when he was about to water his plant this morning. It was standing right beside my money plant.

“Mommy look! What is that? This leaf got legs and can move.” exclaimed my elder one.

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The kids were so amused by its head turning over to look at them. They inspected it from the feelers to the tip of the legs. Making every little “Eeee”, “Aiyo”, “Huh”, “Ehh”, whenever the green insect moved – reaction from city-kids. The only insects they see often are non other than cockroaches and ants, so any other crawlers apart from these 2 will be an eye-opener for them.

So I had a free children-sitter for 45mins. I was so happily doing my own stuff and leaving my kids alone to interact with the praying mantis, knowing that neither of them would harm each other.

The worst thing I could imagine was the insect would leap onto Binbin, since he is a vege-craze, so maybe his breath smells more leafy than his elder brother; and Binbin would probably just stay still like a statue and start to shout, “MOMMY!!!”

According to here, Praying mantises eat insects and other invertebrates such as other mantises, beetles, butterflies, spiders, crickets, grasshoppers, and even spiders. The praying mantises also eat vertebrates such as small tree frogs, lizards, mice and hummingbirds. Praying mantis can resemble flowers and can catch small, unknowing hummingbirds. Praying mantis also eat other nesting birds.

So this uninvited guest will always be welcomed here, so that my plants would be free from insects and at the same time be my kids’ entertainer. *wink*