A trip to the garden center

As I was out and about running errands yesterday, I stopped at the garden center to see what was new. I ended up buying a small jade plant (Crassula, species, 'Calico Kitten') for the italian planter that I have on the kitchen windowsill. It's been empty for quite some time now. I also couldn't resist buying one of my old time favorites, the coleus. As I was leaving and proceeded to the car, I noticed something on the front of the car down by the grill that looked like a dried leaf. When I got closer I noticed it was a praying mantis, the biggest one I've ever seen! It must have been 5 inches long. I didn't know what to do with it, so I left it there and hoped it would stay on the car till I got home. Well, as I was driving home he started to climb up on the hood! Did you know they have wings? He was trying desperately to hang on, so I stopped the car and got one of the plastic bags that my plants were in and put him in the bag carefully. Whew! I got home and put him in the hedge in the garden. I was so excited I called Galen to tell him about it (he's been reading alot about insects lately). He said, did you take a picture of him? Duh. I went back outside to find him, but I guess by that time he was off on his merry way through the hedge. If I see him again, you can rest assured, I'll get a picture of him. I do have a picture of a mantis though. Here he is. The one I saw was much bigger!