Hiding in Plain Sight

Can you see it?

I was out in the yard, looking for whatever might be out there. And something just caught my eye. The prepared mind and all that.

See it now?

Now?

A Carolina Mantid, which may or may not be native to New Jersey.

🐞  🐞  🐞  🐞  🐞

As one might infer form the name, Carolina Mantids are native to the US. They are the state insect of South Carolina. And they naturally occur in New Jersey, having made their way to the state under their own power. But it can be (and has been) argued that if not for climate change, which is human caused, these insects would not survive the winter this far north. And thus by implication they are only here because of human intervention. This is problematic, as now any creature that moves north (or in the Southern Hemisphere, south) would by definition be non-native, regardless of how it makes it's way there. Which adds another bit of messiness to the definition of "native". Biology is fun!

Thanks to Steve Mason for very informative discussions on what it means to be 'native'.