Let us pray — A salute to our favorite mantis

By Lily Tyson

Published April 8, 2024 at 1:15 PM EDT

Stock photo of a praying mantis on a purple flower.

This legislative session, local students lobbied Connecticut lawmakers to change our state insect, which is currently the praying mantis. This hour we are focused on the praying mantis. We'll learn about the insect, why students think it should not represent the state, and what praying mantises of the future could look like.

GUESTS:

Katherine Dugas (below): Entomologist and research technician at The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
Liz Alter: Professor of Evolutionary Biology at California State University Monterey Bay

Photographed April 08, 2024, Katherine Dugas, an entomologist for the state, displays a Chinese Mantis (Tenodera sinensis) before her appearance on the Colin McEnroe show. The Chinese Mantis was discovered in Connecticut in 1902 and is larger than the European Mantis or Praying Mantis that appeared was discovered in North America in the late 1890's, first found in Connecticut in 1951 and was designated the official state insect in 1977. — .

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Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.