Orchid Female Mantis hymenopus coronatus 9 of 10 is a photograph by Leslie Crotty which was uploaded on September 11th, 2012.
Orchid Female Mantis hymenopus coronatus 9 of 10
This beautiful mantis is found in the Rain Forests of Malaysia, Indonesia and Sumatra. They need to be in a humid warm environment to survive. At... more
Title
Orchid Female Mantis hymenopus coronatus 9 of 10
Artist
Leslie Crotty
Medium
Photograph
Description
This beautiful mantis is found in the Rain Forests of Malaysia, Indonesia and Sumatra. They need to be in a humid warm environment to survive. At first instar hatchlings orchid mantises resemble ants with black bodies and red legs. After shedding their skin the first time they emerge with a white body, then a few more sheds they get their final color which can be pink or white with what looks like a green necklace around the lower part of the neck area. They can range from 2" to 21/2" in height. At this adult stage it is a master of camouflage, looking very much like the flower of an orchid, with it's legs resembling flower petals. When hungry they will grab any insect that comes close such as flies, moths, butterflies and sometimes bites of a banana. A very beautiful unique mantis but also deadly! I photographed this female orchid mantis in my photo studio using some artificial flowers which I purchased at a local arts and craft store! I put the flowers in a vase then then placed the mantis on them letting her walk around at her leisure, after about 10 minutes she sat down and just starred at me. I immediately went to my camera (RZ medium format camera, 140 macro lens, and a #2 extension tube) and clicked the shutter 20 times, getting similar but slightly different expressions. She was about 3" from the lens and depth of field was very shallow approximately 1/2' to 3/4". I had to move the vase with the flower in a way so I could sharply focus on her eyes, face and very sharp needle like claws while the rest of her body went slightly out of focus! This image was 9 of 10 that came out good that I was happy with! It took me 3 months raising it from a hatchling to adult size with the help of my stepson Orville before I was able to to take these photographs! I had a great time photographing her and I hope you have a great time viewing them!
Uploaded
September 11th, 2012
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Comments (18)
Jim Hart
What an amazing capture, composition toning as good as it gets - this is a work of art v/f
Leslie Crotty replied:
THANKS SO MUCH JIM! THIS ORCHID MANTIS IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND UNIQUE IN THE MANTIS FAMILY! YOU HAVE GOOD TASTE! THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR F/V, LES
Jeff at JSJ Photography
Looks like an albino Praying Mantis on some great purple colors--v/f! ~Jeff at JSJ Photography
Leslie Crotty replied:
JEFF, THIS ORCHID FEMALE MANTIS IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL IN THE MANTIS SPECIES, YOU HAVE GREAT TASTE, AND ALSO THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR F/V, LES
Randy Rosenberger
You got my Wow factor on this absolutely awesome capture and superlative presentation, Leslie! You should be the top photo genius behind features in a publication, like Science Monthly, Nat Geo, or some other famous publication, as you shots and presentations are better than I have ever seen in "Science" texts or magazine! Your details on this is are extraordinary. I am so happy you joined our group, so I can promote these awesome pieces of natural beauty that many would never see otherwise. Thanks for sharing! fave and vote
Leslie Crotty replied:
RANDY, THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL COMMENT ON THIS IMAGE AND THE MANY OTHERS YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY! THANKS AGAIN, LES
Byron Varvarigos
Beautiful image! Incredible creature, gorgeous colors, I can see why it's called an 'orchid'! VF!
Leslie Crotty replied:
THANKS BYRON, AND I DID CHANGE TO THE CORRECT KEYWORD AND DESCRIPTION FROM ORCHARD TO "ORCHID", THANKS FOR PICKING THAT UP, LES
Andrew Govan Dantzler
I am a fellow member of ‘Macro photographs’ and I am just taking a quick run though to vote your FEATURED work. V &F … Elaine