I wish that this photo could do justice to the size of this big daddy praying mantis. He had to be at least 3 inches long. I don't know much about the mantis species, but every year we have a lot of them in our yard/on our back porch. This one was the biggest ever. I went over to turn on the water faucet and I could see his eyes watching me. They seem really calm and friendly so I am happy that they enjoy our backyard. The kids have also been catching butterflies in mass quantity this week. The butterflies seem to be enjoying my bolting basil. I am not. It means that fresh herbs are almost done at our house. Boo.