Jeweled flower mantis

Not all insects are built alike: some are so stunning, so mesmerizing to look at, that it seems like they jumped, crawled or flew straight out from a fairytale book. Case in point: the gorgeous Flower Mantis that Margaret Neville found in her garden in South Africa.

Pu'er, Yunnan, China

Sarah Folts TheButterflyBabe (@butterflybabegallery) no Instagram: “The Indian Flower mantis is a species native to Asia. Females only reach about 4cm in length as…”

Spiny Flower Mantis (Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii) is a species of mantis in the Hymenopodidae family. Credit @pang.way

883 views on Imgur: The magic of the Internet

Your Insect of the Week is a flower mantis. James says: "The many colors of this flower mantis (order Mantodea, family Hymenopdidae, Creobroter gemmatus), allow it to hide in the flowers where it hunts. Its name means “jeweled flesh eater” and it preys on other insects. Found throughout the rainforests of Asia, these insects are often kept as exotic pets." © The Field Museum, Photographer James H. Boone, Zoology - Division of Insects

Mantis Deimatic display - One of my guys giving me some 'on yer bike' language!

A flower mantis in Kololo, Kampala.