07/25/2025
The praying mantis might look like something out of a sci-fi bug horror flick, but in Pennsylvania, it's a welcome guest—and yes, it's native. These green (and sometimes brown) little weirdos are often spotted hanging upside-down on tomato cages or lurking like tiny alien sentries on your back porch. Despite their unsettling stare and creepy calm, praying mantises are actually the gardeners’ MVPs. They chow down on all the annoying pests—like aphids, flies, and lanternfly nymphs—without needing a drop of pesticide. So, if you see one perched on your mums in early fall, give it a nod of respect. It's not being creepy. It's on duty.
Now, while there’s a popular myth that it’s illegal to kill a praying mantis in PA, that’s not entirely true—but they are protected informally by garden enthusiasts and many local ecosystems for good reason. Because of their pest-control prowess and delicate place in the food chain, some conservationists promote leaving them be. Native mantises like the Carolina mantis are also in quiet competition with more aggressive, imported species like the Chinese mantis, so keeping the local ones around helps preserve ecological balance. Bottom line: if you squash one, your grandma’s marigolds might never forgive you—and neither will the local farmers who treat these bugs like tiny, green bodyguards for their crops.
Chestertown Environment
Eastern Shore Permaculture
Chestertown Life
