Smart Praying mantis
 

Found this feeding happily next to this stinky starfish flower, the next day another one on another flower.



They sit and feed all day, the one in first picture has a flie she is enjoying.

Cool!

Nice action shots :)

Lucky fly!
To become part of the food chain...
Instead of smeared on the back page of the sports section.

This could be a natural phenominon of some sort. An plant I read about (I forget which) is a certain color and attracts a certain pollinator who polinates "But also lays eggs on the plant, " (during the day) creating a situation where the plant is at risk of getting eaten. So, during the night, the the plant creates a scent which attracts the creatures who eat these bugs. This is called "antagonistic coevolution." The orchid mantis looks so much like a flower that I will bet pollinators fly right up to it.

Nature is just amazing!

The Stapelia gigantea is so mean to the flies. It smells like the most delicious feast, but there is actually nothing for the adult fly to eat. She lays her eggs, but by the time they hatch, the flower is nearly or fully withered. There is nothing for the poor little maggots, and they starve.

Interesting, but I never feel sorry for maggots or flies :)