What is it Wednesday archive: November 13, 2019

Can you identify what's in this photo?

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

November 13, 2019. 

And the answer is....

This is the egg case of a praying mantis. 

In the late fall, a female mantis lays between 12 and 400 eggs, then covers them with a frothy substance that quickly hardens, creating this case. A hardened egg case is known as an ootheca and protects the eggs inside from weather and predators throughout the winter. In the spring, the nymphs hatch from the eggs then emerge from the case, ready to hunt.

We found this case when removing tree shelters from places where we had planted American Chestnuts. When we saw the case on this one, we left the shelter there, so the eggs can hatch and provide the world with more of these captivating predators. 

Since praying mantises eat other insects, they can be helpful to have around gardens and houses – if you see an egg case like this, leave it where it is and support the mantis population!

For more on how LEEP can help you spot the benefits in the details of the nature around us, through school field trips, Saturday Safaris, summer camp, special events and more, check out www.Lutherlyn.com/ee. 

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!