Ms. Mantis and Her Morning Exercises

Submitted by szgarvey on October 20th, 2023

Scenario: A female praying mantis, a Stagmomantis limbata, is perched on a daphne.

Pho-tog: "Good morning, Ms. Mantis! How are you today? Hope you're not thinking about catching a bee for breakfast!"

Ms. Mantis: "Oh, no! I would never think of catching a bee! I'm...ahem...allergic to bees. Yes, that's it. I'm ALLERGIC to bees. I'm just...ahem...doing my morning exercises. Gotta stay in shape."

Pho-tog: "Bend and stretch, right? Bend and stretch? No honey bees on the menu?

Ms. Mantis: "Oh, yes, bend and stretch. My morning exercises! No bees on the menu!" (Then she spots a bee below)

Pho-tog: "Hey, wait, why are dropping down in the daphne?"

Ms. Mantis: "Gotta go do my floor exercises now! Yes, that's it. My floor exercises."

Photographer to the praying mantis: "Good morning, Ms. Mantis! How are you today? Hope you're not thinking about catching a bee for breakfast!" (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Oh, no!" Ms. Mantis tells the photographer. "I would never think of catching a bee! I'm...ahem...allergic to bees. Yes, that's it. I'm ALLERGIC to bees. I'm just...ahem...doing my morning exercises. Gotta stay in shape." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Ms. Mantis spots a bee below the daphne. "Gotta go do my floor exercises now. Yes, that's it. My floor exercises!" (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)