Interesting facts about the praying Mantis: There are about 2000 species of Praying Mantis but only 18 species live in North America.  The remainder live in tropical climates. In 1977 the State of Connecticut named the European Praying Mantis the state insect.  It is not native to North America but fairly proflific. They have approximately a 1 year lifespan and females will typically lay their eggs in fall as they develop through winter. Females will frequently cannibalize their male counterpart during the reproductive process. The large majority of Preying Mantis have two eyes but only one ear located on their underside just forward of the hind legs. This ear comes…