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I captured, in the middle of November, these photographs for the Readers' Photos of La Vanguardia of the praying mantis in the garden at home, in Gurb, Osona region.
This insect is relentless. Specifically, the female. At the end of summer, mantids go out to mate in the sunniest areas of the forests. The females are larger than the males and are responsible for emitting pheromones to attract them. Once they come together, in most cases, copulation ends with the death of the male between the jaws of his partner.
The praying mantis is like the insect of a thousand numbers. In Catalan he receives several: pray, fold hands, ring bells and snake horse. But, according to which dialect, it is known as Pregadéu de stollo, pregadéu-bernada, pregamans, plegabraços, cantamisses, (re)voltacampanes, revoltejacampanes, rodacampanes, haggler of bells, revol campanes, belfry, beata, preacher, goat, mountacavals , among others.
At the local level there are other examples of numbers: demon (Urgell), andreu (La Codonyera), maria (Senterada), mateu, bell ringers (Almatret; Ribera d'Ebre), cantamisses (Terres de Lleida), señoreta, tocamatines (Terres de Lleida), bell ringer (Terres de Lleida) and grasshopper (Énova).
It also receives names attributed to other insects: cuca cantamissa (Ribera d'Ebre), mortefuig (Mequinensa), rodadits (Balearic Islands).
In Roussillon, it is known as burra, cabra, bernada or maiden (Conflent), barrel-hopper (Campome) and wild goat in Vallespir and Alt Empordà.
