A trapped mantis

 The mantis was caught in a spiderweb.

It was a sight I’d never seen, so the garden project came to a halt.

Mantises have powerful forearms — so strong they can catch and kill hummingbirds. I’d assumed that a mantis could tear through any web it blundered into. What was going on?

This mantis appeared to have fallen, rather than blundered, into the web. He appeared to have been snagged by the back. Perhaps the mantis could not get to the web with those powerful forearms.

Then again, the web was the work of a Joro spider. These spiders, recent immigrants from Asia, build strong webs. When I run into one, I marvel at spiders that spin webs that feel like fishing line. I wondered whether this was a case of strength vs. strength — a strong web builder vs. getting the better of a strong web cutter.

This little drama was interesting biologically but troubling ethically. I try not to kill living things. The Wise Woman smiles when I evict — rather than kill — spiders, centipedes and other creatures, even those that bite and sting.

The exceptions are the killers. I leave poisonous spiders and snakes alone unless they’re in a place where they could do harm.

This mantis, alas, was too near the hummingbird feeder.