19th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Mantis at rest
This was shot in the backgarden of my inlaws house, in central Sicily, a small patch of land nurturing local plants and flowers like this zinnia elegans. Known to be very attractive for butterflies and many other small beings, this makes a perfect hunting post for the praying mantis, waiting still for its next pray. I wanted to capture the scene to register the summer haze of the afternoon, the majesty and elegance of this insect, the beauty of the flower and the sense of nature this gave me. There is as well the trace of another predator on the same little spot...what else in those few square meters of Earth.
Photo Detail
Date Taken: | 07.2020 |
Date Uploaded: | 11.2021 |
Photo Location: | Italy |
Camera: | PENTAX K-3 |
Copyright: | © Luigi Di Gioia |