One day in September, Margaret Neville from South Africa had the most amazing experience in her garden.
She spotted a flower mantis relaxing in her lavender bushes. This is a type of praying mantis that’s evolved to look floral as a way of camouflage.
This flower mantis was a female with big swirl patterns on the back and protrusions which looked like the buds of lavender.
Amazed by the insect’s beauty, Neville named it Miss Frilly Pants as a reference to its purple ‘pantaloons’.
Miss Frilly Pants Becomes Popular
Neville shared her experience online and wrote ‘nature is there for all of us to share’ and now, the insect has so many fans worldwide.
Photos and videos of it can be regularly seen on the Facebook page of the Waterfall Retreat & Environmental Centre.
The page also wrote that the unusual mantis found a mate- a male flower mantis.
There are numerous mantis species worldwide. The females can camouflage into a floral appearance, but the males haven’t evolved to do this. They’re smaller and the colors are duller.
Before heading out, don’t forget to check out the video, the mantis is really astonishing-what an amazing nature, don’t you agree?
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