Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago

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Praying Mantis might look intimidating, but they are careful, precise, and a little bit fussy.

Only two mantis species are native to North Carolina. The rest are visitors that stuck around.

That rocking motion is not nerves. It is math. Shifting side to side lets a mantis judge distance before it strikes.

And when the meal is over, it grooms. Front legs first, then the antennae, one at a time.

As Nora shows you here, slow down near the tall grass this week and see who is watching you back.