Mantis Mania- A Tale of Sex and Horror in the Insect World

 Generally sex in a headline get's peoples attention, we will get to that horror story soon enough, but
first, a touching photo of my insectoid assassins, my young protege's , my little minions of destruction.

Trying to get young praying mantis to pose for a group photo is like herding cats.
As photogenic as the mantis are, they move incredibly fast, even at this tender young age.
I am nurturing and encouraging these young varmints,whispering softly to them they will soon taste of victory, will crush their enemies on the field of battle. Of course I have named several of them-Socrates, Leonidas, Achilles, Hannibal, Alexander..etc.Each of these young insects is a masterpiece of Nature.
When you watch them, study their movements and behavior, you realize what spectacular
creatures they really are.

In China, there are two systems of martial arts created from watching the attack and fighting
motions/strategies of the praying mantis. Southern and Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu are
both very popular and effective fighting forms in China.

Praying Mantis can turn their heads and  look quizzically over their shoulders.
Their two forelegs are covered in spikes in which prey are caught and trapped.
They are fast now, when they get a little older, they will move so fast when catching prey, their
movement is a blur. They will be 2 times faster than a fly.
They make great pets, if handled properly and frequently, they won't bite.

There are 20 species of native mantis in the United States.
When young, they will eat each other if not fed properly, but prefer small flies, mites and small crickets.
When mature, they will eat flies, beetles, crickets-any other insect. Believe it or not, they will also eat
frogs, lizards, snakes, birds, fish and small scorpions.


Depending on your outlook or sex, here is where it gets interesting or horrifying.
Females are usually quite a bit larger than males and can be very aggressive (really? that's weird)
When mating, with the male in a dominant position, the females will often turn and bite the males head off
and then feed on his body.(Hmmm.......)
Other times they will do this after mating(Men-does this sound familiar?) According to scientists -
the most dangerous point in mating for the males is when they dismount, they are at their most vulnerable
to attack by the females(this does sound familiar)
And here's the kicker-the males seem to be o.k. with this. Other males that observe this behavior do not seem to be bothered or deterred from mating nearby.(Yes, we are that dim-witted)
It figures-males of all species may be the stupidest beings of all times when it comes to sex.
"Oh, you're going to bite my head off afterwards, o.k.", or " I might be killed after this? sounds good to me"!
Yes, like lemmings marching to the sea, males seem genetically programmed to accepting this sort of fate.

*Evidently this  male doesn't mind being eaten by the female after coitus or if he does, nobody can hear him complaining. Strangely enough, Scientists have also been unable to hear the mantis females complaining before or after sex.

And honestly, Mantis and Man alike, we can't help ourselves- If God made anything more beautiful, sexy and mysterious than a female, he kept it to himself.
A note of caution for Men- If your female turns her head around to look at you at a certain time, Look Out!
and certainly be careful, Mantis and Man alike, we are all extremely vulnerable during and immediately after
dismount.

Praying Mantis-(Do it like a Ninja)

Praying Mantis-The Silent Assassins of the Insect World

I wanted to share this picture-a cocoon of my minions hatched today.

Praying mantis are a silent, efficient killer of  harmful insects.

I consider them  the Ninja of the insect world. Like the Ninja, they remain unseen, quickly strike and fade back into the shadows. If you are having re-occuring insect problems,

order 5-10 cocoons of praying mantis and place them in your trees and shrubs.

Once they hatch, you will have very few issues with mosquitos, flies or

anything else. I am a fan of using natural methods to treat problems whenever it is feasible.

Sometimes you have to be patient for Nature to work her magic.

( I have named this particular minion Hanzo, in honor of the famous Ninja Hanzo Hattori)

I know it's weird, I don't care.

Cool Tree Photos-Trees of Kansas City

A few of the better photos I have taken over the last few years.
Some of the more interesting trees/areas, and of course every tree has a story!

Pictured below are two Oaks we pruned on the Plaza. These are nice trees that provide excellent
shade/screening to these building. I love the sunlight shining through the canopies.
See if you can find the Arborists in the trees.

 

 This is a photo taken from an article in the Kansas City Star. The article was about the importance of hiring tree care professionals. VanBooven Arborist John Cox is pictured in a large Shingle Oak. This picture is great-I love the shades of green, all the green leaves and the feeling you are up in the tree.

I love this picture and I love this tree. One of the largest English Oaks in Kansas City. Located in Loose Park/Arboretum. We had just finished pruning this tree, part of our contract to prune Arboretum trees.
We did some great work and treated these old trees with all the respect they deserve.

This is an interesting Elm tree. It was severely damaged in a tornado/microburst. Parts of the tree are dead, limbs that are green are split/damaged. Quite a bit of the wood was split-ripped and twisted. We pruned out
the damage. Before picture-

After photo- 2 years later, tree still looks rough, but you have to be patient.The first pruning is damage control, like a triage or emergency room, you are trying to save the patient! It will take more time, most likely several years-more pruning to have a decent tree again

Northern Red Oak in Prairie Village. This tree has an amazing vase-shape. One of the cooler looking Northern Red Oaks we care for. What an awesome tree.

Historic Bur Oak in Bonner Springs. This tree is easily 250 years old and had developed a large split.
We pruned out large deadwood and installed multiple cables. Several other tree companies had advised the
owners to remove this tree. In a large, historic tree like this, every effort should be made for preservation.
Three weeks after we cabled this tree, there was a storm with 75 mph winds. This tree was unscathed!

I really like this photo-It's Spring, green grass, colors of smaller, understory trees.

One of my favorite trees in Kansas City. This Bur Oak is massive and very old.
We have been caring for this tree a long time and truly love this old guy.

I have hundreds of photos, these are some of my favorites.
I hope you enjoyed them.  Will post more in the future.

Prometheus and Methuselah

Prometheus was the name given to  the oldest tree on our planet-And we killed him!
Perhaps this tree was aptly named. In Greek mythology  Prometheus was horribly punished for giving fire to man.Chained to a rock and having his liver torn out every day by an eagle was no picnic. The Greek Prometheus was immortal, the Bristlecone Pine named Prometheus lived a long time and

was ultimately killed for being old looking, like he was on his last legs so to speak. (I hope this doesn't happen to any of us when we get old looking and people begin to suspect we might be on our last legs).

Now that I hopefully have your attention, I would like to share a couple of quotes that seem fitting.

"But these are foolish things to all the wise, and I love wisdom more than she loves me,

my tendency is to philosophise on most things, from a tyrant to a tree"- Lord Byron

"Yet each man kills the thing he loves"-Oscar Wilde

Methuselah

Bristlecone Pines (Pinus longaeva) grow in the arid mountains of six states in the U.S.,

stretching from California to Colorado. They seem to thrive in almost impossible conditions-

extreme altitude, scant soil and very little moisture. Perhaps this is the secret to their longevity-all things in moderation. In fact, the oldest trees are found in California at elevations of 10,000 to 11,000 feet.

Between 1954 and 1955, a student of dendrochronology (study of tree rings/events), Edward Schulman

 was studying Bristlecone Pines in the White Mountains, California.While taking core samples to determine tree ages, he discovered some very old Bristlecone Pines. He found one tree he knew to be at least 4,000
years old , a Bristlecone Pine he named Methuselah.

This tree was further studied and in 1957 was found to be 4,723 years old.

Prometheus

With the international attention focused on Methuselah in 1957, there was another area of the U.S with

old, massive Bristlecone Pines. Wheeler Peak, located on Nevada's eastern border, was home to

some colossal Bristlecone Pines. A local group established the Great Basin National Park Association.

They were trying to focus state and federal attention on what they knew were champion trees. They believed these trees were as old or older than the Pines in California. They had already named some of the larger, more interesting looking trees-"Buddha", "Socrates" and "Prometheus". 

In 1964, a young geography student named Donald Curry was working on a project toward his

doctorate. He was studying the movements of glaciers with an assistant when they stumbled upon

these very old Pines. Taking a core sample from one of the oldest, gnarliest looking trees, they discovered

how very old this tree was. As fate would have it, their coring tool broke. Excited to finish the  project,

and running out of time, they asked and actually  received permission from the U.S. Forest Service to cut this tree down! (The reasoning seem to be this was not the famous Methuselah grove and the tree looked rough-

old and gnarled, probably near death's door).

It was Prometheus. They cut down one of the oldest trees on the Earth.(Death by dumbass)
To put this in perspective, this  tree was a seedling when the Great Pyramids were being built

and was maturing when Jesus Christ walked the earth. 

Dendrochronologist Don Graybill later determined the exact age of Prometheus at 4,862 years.

Prometheus was older than Methuselah.

The following pictures  illustrate all that is left.

Here is the stump of Prometheus-Not a fitting tribute

Radial cuttings  of Prometheus at the University of Arizona-Dept. of  Dendrochronolgy

Fittingly,there is a legend that many believe to be true. There is a curse attached to people who cut or handle

the wood from Prometheus. Donald Curry, the man who cut down this tree, died very young. 

A U.S. Forest Service worker who was helping him died while moving the wood from Prometheus.

 Even Edmund Schulman, who discovered Methuselah, died at a young age.

 There have also been incidents/injuries with people  handling the wood from Prometheus.

What can we take from all of this?

Evidently, being named Prometheus seems to guarantee some sort of retribution by Gods or Man.

My warning to all-Do not name your trees or children Prometheus.Whatever their intentions, it will not turn out well.

Equally evident, if you are old and gnarly looking-watch out. People might think you are on your last legs and want to get rid of you, or the U.S. Forest Service may tell them it's o.k. to get rid of you.