This is a juvenile Empuse or conehead mantis photographed in March in the dry grass in my garden in the south of France. During the first day of spring young empuses climb up twigs to warm in the sun after the cold winter. The bright spot in the picture is a strong ray of sunshine that lit another bush’s leaves. The great difficulty is to find these insects. They do not move and almost looks like dried bits of grass. The second challenge to photograph is to be aware of the bright light of southern France. This Empuse was photographed in the shade.

1st place - Wildlife in the Garden