This is the first time I've seen a praying mantis in person that I can recall--I didn't even realize they could survive in Colorado! I'm no expert, but this particular specimen appears to be a European Mantis (M. reliogiosa) based on photos from wikipedia.
Mantids are generally considered beneficial insects, as they feed on pest insects. We made sure that the mantid was safely out of the way before closing the door.
By the way, this photo was taken with the Canon SD800 IS that I bought Michelle for her 25th birthday last year. The photo is nothing amazing, but not bad for a point-and-shoot! In fact, it was so dark when I took the photo that I could barely even see the mantis on the LCD to frame it. I was impressed that the macro function was able to focus accurately and quickly despite the darkness, and the flash didn't completely overwhelm the photo like my old Canon SD40 would have. Digital camera technology sure has come a long way!
If you click on the photo to zoom in, you can see that it's not perfectly clear. This is the difference between a point-and-shoot and a dSLR. As much as I think I want a dSLR, I've resigned myself to the fact that most things I do are better served by a compact point-and-shoot. Too often the photos I want to take are spur-of-the-moment, and it's just not practical to lug a huge dSLR around everywhere. I considered a mid-size prosumer camera like the Canon S5 IS, but then I realized that it's a compromise--too big to stick in a pocket, and you lose the fast action and large sensor advantages of a dSLR. An ideal setup for me would be a nice point-and-shoot to carry around everywhere for the spontaneous photos, plus a nice dSLR for those instances where I really want to take a mind-blowing shot. I love photography, and I still think a nice dSLR is in our future, but it's going to have to wait for now.
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