This one was found near the Green River. The habitats we were searching were typically dry with no trees. However, there was one section where the river meandered through and cottonwood trees gave some cover from the hot sun. That is where I was able to find this bright green mantis.
I grabbed her up as soon as I saw her gangling through some weeds on the ground. She eventually crawled up my arm, onto the top of my hat, where she groomed her self for a minute or two and then flew away.
Another mantid I found was a mile or two away from the river, on top of a large hill where no trees were present. Notice the difference in color! These appear to be the same species but even in the same species they can have different coloration.
I would hypothesize that natural selection plays a part in the area where the color variation is typically found. For example, the green mantid would probably not fare well in the high and dry habitat where I found the above (and one other) brown mantid. Its bright green exoskeleton would be a giant, neon, "eat me" sign for predators in the area. However, the brown mantids would probably be just fine in the riverside habitat as there are still plenty of things in that area (it is completely surrounded by desert, after all) that it could blend in with.
Oh how I wish I was getting paid to search for these awesome insects instead of cacti!
