Late summer around August and September is the best time to go insect hunting in the vineyards. Here in the Palatinate many winemakers switched to mainly organic cultuvation methods during the last two decades, resulting in food and hiding places for various insects and all the species feeding on them. Also the vineyards are traversed by stone walls that store the heat from the sun and enable warm climate species to establish themselves.
A couple of years ago (in 2017), I saw it for the first time: The European mantis (Mantis religiosa). The only Mantodea species found in Central Europe. I had never seen one when I was a kid, and I was out and about the vineyards all the time. So I guess it conquered new territory due to climate change. Now you can reliably spot them anywhere where meadows and bushes provide enough food for these predators.
I am totally in love with these animals. Their weird body structure, their slow rhythm of movement and their strange faces, that seem to observe every move you make. They are so unlike humans, they could be from a different planet somewhere in the galaxy. Have you ever seen one in the wild?
Lesnik Photos 