Praying mantis

Hello friends!

We've had a (relatively) subdued week here on the rock. This weekend the girls and I made an interesting discovery in front of the Koloa Post office -- a Praying Mantis! I don't know that they are rare here on Kauai, but in all the time we've been here, I've only seen one (about 20 years ago).

Praying Mantis are really cool! They have 5 eyes and they are the only insect that can turn their head a full 180 degrees (just like a human)! They're born in the spring and live only 1 season, so this little guy is probably a fairly new hatchling.

This photo made the Kauai newspaper!

Generally, Praying mantis are not aggressive, but Kate wasn't too sure. She really wanted to get a good look, but her sister kept telling her to watch out... the Mantis was going to leap off this post and land on her head. And you know what?! It sure tried. It was too heavy though and awkward in flight... Kate had time to duck and run. The Praying mantis landed safely in the grass and we left it to continue where ever it was headed.

(Hey, if you're interested in learning more about Praying Mantis, check out this website: http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hawaii?Animals.pray)

P.S. Just a few updates from our last few posts: Several of the north shore beaches were closed this weekend. Seems we weren't the only ones interested in the turtles... Several large sharks were spotted this weekend in Hanalei Bay. One apparently came 15 yards from shore (yikes!) and was as wide as a jet ski! Dave says they don't go after people, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable relying on their eyesight... Seems to me we look enough like a turtle flopping around in our snorkel and fins. I think I'll be taking a break for a few days...

Also, on the Big Island, the lava flow is literally gushing into the sea a few hundred feet from where we hiked at Christmas. At the top of Kilauea there were several large explosions last week and the park center had to be closed for a bit as the sky was literally raining rocks! Glad we missed that storm! I know my sister's home isn't in any danger (at the moment) but it feels good to have her and the twins here visiting this month. :-)

Aloha for now... S,D, E and K