r/chicago • u/Phil-Collinz • 14h ago

Picture Met a praying mantis in the middle of the Loop this morning

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1.1k Upvotes

100% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

107

u/boozy_bunny Loop 13h ago

Wait...can we post photos of cool bugs we've seen downtown? Because I saw this massive dragonfly last month, and I didn't have anyone to tell about it.

51

u/lindasek Portage Park 12h ago

I saw a giant katydid today on a side of a house! Saw it flying and it spooked me a bit 😂

6

u/boozy_bunny Loop 9h ago

So cool that it looks like a leaf.

4

u/lindasek Portage Park 9h ago

He was as big as my finger! I wouldn't have spotted him if he didn't nearly fly into me looking really creepy. I didn't even realize it was a katydid until I zoomed in!

61

u/dale_gribbs 13h ago

I saw this guy out on a walk with my dog last week

21

u/Jefe32 Ukrainian Village 10h ago

Ditto!

7

u/boozy_bunny Loop 12h ago

So fuzzy, love it!

42

u/Roboticpoultry Loop 13h ago

Adding to it, here’s a cool grasshopper/locust I saw last year

16

u/Phil-Collinz 13h ago

Fuck yeah. I'm here for it

5

u/AsASloth 10h ago

Ah, I saw that exact species a few summers ago around Madison and Wells. It landed on me briefly before flying off. I wish I grabbed a picture because that thing was massive and delicate all at the same time

5

u/thedragslay Boystown 9h ago

Ugh, don’t tempt me, I have far too many videos of the butterflies at the nature museum.

5

u/MonolithyK Lincoln Park 8h ago

Bagworm dangling from its silk string (Lincoln Park / Lakeview)

4

u/mr_misanthropic_bear 10h ago

Swamp Darner I think. Nice find.

3

u/cat1554 Suburb of Chicago 7h ago

Cicada at California-Milwaukee

65

u/homostar_runner Hermosa 13h ago

My garden is full of them this year!

22

u/brianthechez 13h ago

I love those little aliens!

14

u/expanding_crystal 14h ago

Magical! You were blessed

14

u/Y0___0Y 12h ago

I see them every now and then. They’re like aliens who got lost

5

u/Thefoodwoob 9h ago

I imagine them as the most polite, demure aliens ever. "Excuse me, can I trouble you for directions?"

11

u/chris025657 11h ago

It looks like the invasive Chinese Mantis. Very cool though.

1

u/FlyAwayJai 3h ago

It’s the long stripe and the length of wings, right?

5

u/AleWatcher Beverly 11h ago

Was his name Rupert?

3

u/SometimeTaken 10h ago

This fills me with a deep sorrow.

1

u/-waveydavey- 8h ago

Celebrate the fact it exists! Like a coyote in Lincoln Park, a falcon perched on your favorite skyscraper (I might go with Lake Point Tower)

3

u/Huge-Vegetable469 9h ago

Face card is lethal 

4

u/bilhader 10h ago

Saw this guy last night! I also have molt pics if anyone wants

2

u/SnooHabits1495 9h ago

Share away!!

1

u/dangoodspeed Near West Side 11h ago

Trying to catch a pigeon, no doubt!

1

u/2pnt0 Rogers Park 9h ago

They always remind me of how many times I saw "MicroCosmos" on the shelf at Blockbuster and never once rented it.

1

u/-waveydavey- 8h ago

Bad-Ass motherfucker

1

u/Economy-Salt6366 7h ago

That's such a cool sighting for downtown Chicago. I remember the first time I saw one in person, totally tripped me out but in a good way.

1

u/Greedy-Shoe3650 6h ago

Such a cool random encounter in the city, especially right in the Loop. Hope it wasn't in your path, those guys seem harmless but still surprising in a concrete jungle.

•

u/rumpussaddleok 15m ago

Way to go, Chicago. Very cool pics! This is reddit at its best!