オオカマキリの卵塊

河川敷のヨモギに何か白っぽく光るものがあります。近寄って見るとオオカマキリの卵塊でした。周囲は柔らかいスポンジ状で、内部に行くにつれて固くしまった卵塊は、一冬の風雪に耐えて来春の孵化を待ちます。

There was something shiny and white on the mugwort (Artemisia princeps) plant along the riverbed. A closer look revealed that it was the egg mass of a praying mantis (Tenodera aridifolia). The external layer is soft and spongy, and the inner layers become harder as they reach the eggs at the center. The eggs have to wait for the coming of spring enduring a winter of wind and snow.

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Photos 2021-12-09