For the past eight or nine years, it’s been a noteworthy occasion when the first mantis of the season shows itself in our yard. I’ll usually start looking out for them begining in mid-May, but sometimes won’t see one until early July. But when I finally do catch a glimpse of that first mantis, I’ll document the moment, shooting a few pictures for posterity.

The first mantis of 2022 was spotted not far from where I spotted the last mantis of 2021 back in September: near our grapevine. It was tiny, less than a half-inch long.

How a mantis survives Pueblo’s often crazy spring weather and searingly hot summers, a robust bird population, as well as our pets that roam the yard, I’ll never quite know. And it always leaves me a bit awestruck when I run across them come autumn.