Prayerful preyers

Last week I was walking our back fields with my English cocker, Briar, when something large launched from the weeded edges and landed on my arm. Not flinching, I carefully retrieved my assailant for a closer inspection. My fly-in visitor was the panther of my pollinator patch; a praying mantis. These big insects have always held a mystical quality for me. Even the name, mantis, comes from the Greek term mantikos, meaning soothsayer or prophet. They add to that mystique by folding their front legs into an apparent posture of deep meditation. Hence the name, praying mantis. Some believe that finding a mantis is lucky but you wouldn't think so if you were another bug. They're voracious eaters and are quite adept at turning unsuspecting insects into a meal. They've even been known to kill hummingbirds. That prayerful stance is its own version of a coiled snake; ready to go into action. Those grasping legs can be thrust forward with lightning-strike quickness and deliver deadly results. While that posture may resemble praying, it would be more accurate to name the insect preying mantis. Surprisingly, most mantises that we find during our time outdoors aren't a native species. In fact, most were deliberately introduced from China and Europe. The Chinese mantis was introduced near Philadelphia, PA about 80 years ago and can measure nearly four inches. The European variety is about half that size and were introduced near Rochester, NY about a century ago. Both are now common in the northeastern U.S. The praying mantis also has some pretty cool moves, especially head moves. It's the only insect that can turn its head a full 180 degrees. This allows it to stay aware of its surroundings; watching for threats sneaking from behind and for its next take-out order. That head swivel, prayerful posture and forward-looking eyes give them an appearance of interactive intelligence. They stare back with what seems to be their own friendly curiosity; never mind that it's believed that our mantis buddy may have descended from a common ancestor that also produced termites and cockroaches. Then again, my dad always said you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family. While it's easy to see that the praying mantis has two eyes; complete with 3-D vision, it's one ear is far less obvious and is located on its belly just forward of its back legs. The result is that the mantis can't differentiate where sounds originate and it can't determine frequencies. But that's alright because that ear has one very special capability. A flying mantis can detect ultrasound…that's the sound produced by echolocating bats that are on the prowl for food. It's been found that mantises can sense a bat zeroing in on them. The targeted mantis will stop in mid-flight, drop, roll and dive into cover. It will then stay grounded and away from the bat's pursuit. The praying mantis is generally considered a beneficial insect because it feeds on the harmful bugs that inhabit fields and gardens. While it's true that they eat a lot of bad bugs, they're incapable of differentiating between good and bad. Like most predators, mantises are opportunistic. The first in reach is the next to be eaten. Females of the species are also known to invite their mates to dinner after breeding, a bad deal for the males since they're often the main course. Regardless of their habit of eating the occasional good guy, mantises remain an intriguing part of our fields. Each fall, we lose the adults to winter's chill but they leave their Styrofoam-like egg cases adhered to weed stalks, bushes and sapling trees. These will hatch during the warming spring and the praying mantis will return for its summer visit. "Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain." – Henry David Thoreau Along the Way During their August meeting, the Division of Wildlife provided the Ohio Wildlife Council the proposals for the spring 2026 wild turkey hunting dates. The proposed wild turkey hunting seasons include separate youth dates for the south and northeast zones. If approved, 2026 would mark the first year that the youth hunting season dates are divided. Ohio's spring turkey hunting season is split into two zones to align with the timing of turkey nesting in those regions. The south zone covers the majority of Ohio, comprising 83 counties. The northeast zone includes Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Trumbull counties. The proposed spring 2026 wild turkey hunting season dates are: South Zone Youth: Saturday, April 18 to Sunday, April 19, 2026Northeast Zone Youth: Saturday, April 25 to Sunday, April 26, 2026South Zone: Saturday, April 25 to Sunday, May 24, 2026 Northeast Zone: Saturday, May 2 to Sunday, May 31, 2026 Hunting hours during the youth weekends in both zones were proposed from 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset. In the south zone and northeast zone, hunting hours for the first nine days of each season were proposed to be from 30 minutes before sunrise until noon, with hours for the remainder of the season from 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset. During this same session, the Council approved the new waterfowl hunting zones for the 2026-27 hunting season. The new waterfowl hunting zones were created in response to waterfowl hunter surveys and within regulatory frameworks established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The current waterfowl zones remain in place for the upcoming 2025-26 duck and goose hunting seasons. According to the division, in the future zone map, Zone A falls in northwest Ohio, Zone B includes northeast Ohio and some areas in northwest Ohio, and Zone C covers southern counties and the remainder of the state. Hunters should note that, under the new rules, the waters of Lake Erie are part of Zone B, and the Zone A boundary extends 100 yards offshore into Lake Erie. Step Outside • Hunting Seasons Openers: Squirrel: Opens Sept. 1, ends Jan. 31. Mourning and Eurasian Collared Dove: Opens Sept. 1, ends Nov. 9. Reopens Dec. 13, ends Jan. 31. Rail and Gallinule: Opens Sept. 1, ends Nov. 9. Wilson's Snipe: Opens Sept. 1, ends Nov. 19. Reopens Dec. 6, ends Jan. 1. Deer Archery: Opens Sept. 27, ends Feb. 1. DSA Deer Archery: Opens Sept. 13, ends Feb. 1 (DSA=Disease Surveillance Area). Early Waterfowl-Canada Goose and Teal: Opens Sept. 6, ends Sept. 14. • The Division of Natural Areas and Preserves is holding special deer hunts at state nature preserves and state scenic river lands across Ohio during the 2025-2026 hunting season. Permits for all special hunts will be awarded through a lottery system. To participate, hunters must attend a mandatory meeting for each preserve they'd like to hunt. Afterwards, hunters will have an opportunity to purchase a $5 ticket (cash-only) to be entered into drawing. Hunters must possess a valid 2025-2026 hunting license to purchase tickets. In NW Ohio: Hardin County - Lawerence Woods State Nature Preserve (archery). Aug. 23 at 1 p.m. at preserve parking area located at 13278 County Road 190, Kenton, OH 43226. Seneca County - Collier State Nature Preserve (archery). Aug. 23 at 4 p.m. at preserve parking area located at 1655 W. Township Road 38, Tiffin, OH 44883.For complete information, visit: https://ohiodnr.gov/buy-and-apply/hunting-fishing-boating/hunting-resources/deer-hunt-nature-preserve-lottery • Thursday: Trap Shooting, open to the public. 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. UCOA, 6943 Marion Township 243, Findlay. Contact: Karl Charron, 419-701-8698 or karl.charron@poet.com • Sept. 7: Primitive Blackpowder Muzzle Loader Shoot, round ball only, 1 p.m. Black Swamp Muzzle Loaders Club, 8831 Township Rd. 19, McComb, OH 45858. Email: roadkill4u@hotmail.com • Sept. 7: Trap Shoot, 1 p.m. Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Delaware Township 186. • Beginning Sept. 9, the UCOA Sportsman's Club, 6943 Marion Township 243, Findlay, will be hosting a 6-week Tuesday night trap shooting league. For more information, contact Karl Charron, 419-701-8698 or karl.charron@poet.com • Sept. 13: Black Swamp Bucks' famous Fall Classic. Your attendance helps to support hunting and conservation in our area. There will be over $25,000 in prizes, live entertainment, giveaways, food, drinks, games and raffles. Hanock County Fair Grounds, 4-8 p.m. More information: www.blackswampbucks.com/fall-classic • Sept. 19-21: Rendezvous on the Reserve, a unique living history encampment depicting the fur trade-era in the Indiana wilderness spanning the years of 1760-1840. This gathering will be held on the Blackford County Reservation of Myaamia Chief Francois Godfroy (4400 N. 800 E. - Montpelier, Indiana 47359) who chose this site in accordance with the terms of the 1818 Treaty of St. Marys. Enter the authentic encampment in the midst of life as it was more than 200 years ago. Demonstrations on muzzle-loader shooting, archery, and tomahawk & knife throwing. Visit: rendezvousonthereserve.weebly.com. • Sept. 20: 3-D Archery Match, Whitetail Warm Up with Field and Stream Bowhunters. This is the last regular archery match of the year, preparing you for the upcoming deer seasons. Along with it comes a favorite of the archery crowd – The Iron Buck Shoot. Made of steel with a 6-inch hole cut out, that deer target will manage to eat a few arrows that miss their mark. There will also be a fund-raising raffle to keep the club moving forward. Field and Stream Bowhunters; 11400 Allen Township 109, Findlay. Registration opens at 8 a.m. Contact: John Fenimore at 419-957-8764. Abrams is a retired wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via e-mail at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com.