23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Wildlife
Preying Praying Mantis

I was photographing a praying mantis in my petunia patch when a red admiral butterfly momentarily alighted on a leaf of the plant. It stayed long enough to catch the eye of the mantis and to give me a more interesting shot.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Jefferson, WI, U.S.A., Wisconsin, United States of America
Copyright: © Thomas Drolsum