Oooh, pretty!
Praying mantis! And so well camouflaged in salvia!
Those were my first thoughts.
Though I chose not to publish these photos previously because they disturb me,
they perfectly illustrate the ephemeral beauty of nature and fleeting quality of life and experience since living requires eating.
The honey bee is caught,
savored,
beheaded
and further savored…
and I had to walk away from breathtaking wonder in revulsion despite accepting that the bee is the mantis. We are each bee and mantis, simultaneously, our moments just as fleeting.
Elizabeth Oakley Weaver 
Wow, what a great series of photos!
Nice job E!
PT
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Thanks!
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What an amazing capture – both in real life and on film – lovin’ your blog, am so glad I stumbled across it!
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Thank you so much, Joanne. I appreciate you taking time to read and also comment on my blog. Thanks too for inspiring a happy heart at my day’s start.
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Stunning photos, Elizabeth. The Mantis is so elegant. It’s at first hard to even see the devastation for the bee. what a rare opportunity you seized. BRAVA!!
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Thank you, Anita. I, too, was truly enchanted by the mantis’ elegance till it caught the bee.
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Wow! These are amazing, Elizabeth. What a series! So alien-like in the last few as he chomps on the bee.
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Thank you, Karen. It was a bit chilling.
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