jean-luc and nicole asked if we wanted to see some wild carnations, which are increasingly rare in this part of the world. of course we said “of course.” at 9 PM when they usually take their dogs for a walk, we tagged along down a gravel road north out of our village into the rolling hills of patchwork vineyards, and soon enough, the meandering roadside was dotted with surprisingly delicate sprays of tiny pink and white wild carnations.  according to jean-luc the wild carnation are shaped deep and narrow in order to withstand the daytime heat. as i set up quickly to try and get of photo of the carnations in the waning daylight, i was taken aback by this cheeky little fellow, a conehead mantis I would later discover, who popped out from behind the flower’s receptacle and threatened me with his (proportionally) huge, Popeye forearms.

mantis on a wild carnation; probably an immature conehead mantis (empusa pennata)

autignac, france