A mantis in the garden trying to intimidate the author's cat. (©Fumie Oyama)
The first snowfall of the season has been seen on the mountains of Sado, lightly covering them in white. The full arrival of winter is close. One day, I noticed a mantis egg case (ootheca) on the wall of my house. It is said that when mantises lay their eggs in high places, it signals a heavy snowfall.
With that in mind, I picked up my macro lens and set out to photograph the mantises in my garden.
Turning to Tiny Creatures
Our garden and fields are home to small animals such as martens and raccoon dogs, which are natural predators of the Japanese crested ibis, as well as pheasants. Until now, I had focused my camera on these animals. However, after discovering the mantis eggs, I decided for the first time on Sado to turn my attention to this insect.
I found one on a blueberry bush in our garden, whose leaves had turned a vivid red with autumn color. Through the macro lens, I could clearly see its sickle-like forelegs, used for catching prey, and its long, slender antennae. It seemed to glare at me, as if to say, "Don't get in my way," giving off quite a presence.
A Curious Audience
After looking it up, I learned that this species is called the giant Asian mantis (or Harabiro mantis). As its Japanese name suggests, it has a wide abdomen. It measures about 5 to 6 centimeters in length.
I also spotted a brown mantis in my garden. It was the first time I had seen one, and at first I thought its color might have changed for camouflage. I later learned that a mantis's color is determined by genetics. Brown mantises, known as the "brown morph," are extremely rare.
In our home, we have three rescued cats, and they spend their days sunbathing by the windows. When a mantis climbed up the glass, it immediately caught their attention. Because the mantis moved slowly, the cats did not give chase, but it looked as though they were locked in a silent stare-down.
Heavy Snow or Not?
For people living in snowy regions, the prospect of heavy snowfall is always a major concern. As mentioned earlier, there is a common saying that if mantises lay their eggs in high places, that year will bring heavy snow.
At my house, I found several mantis egg cases at a height of about two meters. If the old saying is true, that would suggest a heavy snowfall this winter. However, a farmer I know told me that mantis eggs can be found in low places even in heavy-snow years, and in high places even in years with little snow.
After all, if the saying were true, mantises could simply lay their eggs in high places every year to avoid accumulating snow. In reality, the eggs are enclosed in protective cases, so even if they are buried under snow, it does not affect their hatching. It seems that the height of the egg cases has no real connection to heavy snowfall.
There is also another saying that if stink bugs appear in large numbers in autumn, heavy snow will follow. Like the mantis theory, there is no scientific evidence to support it. Still, in both 2022 and 2024, stink bugs appeared in large numbers around my home, and both winters brought heavy snow. This autumn, however, I have seen very few.
So what will this winter bring? Thinking about it makes even the hassle of snow in daily life feel a little more like something to look forward to.
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This is the 28th in the series Sado Wildlife in Focus by photojournalist Fumie Oyama.
Fumie Oyama is a two-time winner of the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association Award as a photographer for The Sankei Shimbun. After covering the reintroduction of the crested ibis to the wild for 11 years, Oyama left the company in 2020 to move to Sado Island. There, he continues to photograph the ibis and other wildlife while engaging in farming. He currently promotes the charms of Sado Island as a photojournalist. Follow Fumie Oyama on Instagram.
