Praying Mantis

Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • July 5, 2021


This is my favorite insect – it has for as far as I can remember back into my childhood. Probably doesn’t hurt that they are green (my favorite color) – though they can also be brown. And I am not sure what it says about me to have a favorite insect where the female is known to eat the smaller male.


But, I have fond recollections of praying mantis because of my Nana. When we were young, my parents built her an apartment over the garage at our house. She had a deck full of plants – always a pot of marigolds to attract the bees away from her since she was highly allergic and always a hanging basket of fuchsia which attracted the hummingbirds. That was where I saw my first hummingbird – on her deck. She would also buy praying mantis egg cases. We would run a thread and needle through the case and then go around the yard hanging the egg cases in potted plants and shrubs with the hopes that the praying mantis would do their job – eating the other insects that lived to devour our vegetables and flowering plants. And, the fun thing about the praying mantis is that when they hatch, they come out as tiny miniature versions of their adult selves. 


I have been buying and putting out the egg cases for years and I am happy now that I can share this with my seven-year-old son. This year, I ordered quite a few cases and we stitched a thread through and hung them around the yard. We decided to keep one egg case in a baby food jar (Yes, it’s a baby food jar that’s seven years old! I like to save and reuse) with a screen banded over the top so that we could see them hatch. The trick is you need to get them out quickly when they do hatch because in an enclosed space – or an area without the cases being spaced out – the babies will also resort to cannibalism. 


The egg has been in our house since April and I had started to lose hope of anything happening until, as we were leaving (or we can say RUSHING) out the door this morning for camp, we realized that the babies had hatched. But, the rubber band on the screen had rotted and the babies found an opening where the screen had popped up! Thus, we didn’t just have praying mantis babies in the jar, they were all over my orchids and antique jars inches from our dog’s bed!


Thus ensued a madcap, crazy, fast, but careful attempt to gather them up individually and get them back into the jar to release outside! Do you want to know what it’s like to wrangle a hopping (not yet flying) tiny insect when there are up to 100 of them?! When they hatch they are only about half an inch long and here we were trying to grab them from pots and orchid roots without crushing them!


I think we managed to get most of them – my return home this evening will tell the tale. Just hoping they didn’t decide to go snuggle with Zevna – our Siberian Husky sleeping on her bed!


JNLF

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PEACE

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • January 5, 2026
As Walt Whitman once wrote, “Peace is always beautiful.” Peace can mean many different things. I have used this Whitman quote above before – my Father loved Whitman. And when I quote Whitman, it makes me feel like my Father is here. Maria and her father, William, were close. In fact, even with a large family of twelve people, the Mitchells were all close. My family is close as well, though we have our moments as most, if not all, families do. As we bring to a close another difficult year in which the world and its people continue to struggle, take a moment to be thankful and to find and give peace. May you always find peace in yourself and peace with others. May our world become more peaceful and may we all learn that this small space we inhabit is shared and meant for everyone. In the echoes of one of my favorite Maria Mitchell quotes, your small step, your small gesture to another or towards helping something happen, can make a difference – more than you think. I’ll end with another quote – and a poem I have used the last few years – that is fitting and that also reminds me of another Whitman poem. JNLF In Memoriam, [Ring out, wild bells] Alfred, Lord Tennyson - 1809-1892  Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light: The year is dying in the night; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. Ring out the grief that saps the mind For those that here we see no more; Ring out the feud of rich and poor, Ring in redress to all mankind. Ring out a slowly dying cause, And ancient forms of party strife; Ring in the nobler modes of life, With sweeter manners, purer laws. Ring out the want, the care, the sin, The faithless coldness of the times; Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes But ring the fuller minstrel in. Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in the common love of good. Ring out old shapes of foul disease; Ring out the narrowing lust of gold; Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace. Ring in the valiant man and free, The larger heart, the kindlier hand; Ring out the darkness of the land, Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Keep Calm and Bird On: January 2026

January 1, 2026
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.” -Edith Andrews

Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Announces Strategic Property Acquisition and Appointment of Workshop/APD

December 30, 2025
NANTUCKET, MA—The Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) is pleased to announce two significant milestones in its ongoing Capital Campaign: the acquisition of three properties adjacent to its historic campus, and the appointment of Workshop/APD as the architectural firm leading the design of its future facilities. After more than two years of discussion and planning, the MMA has acquired the Noyes family property, which includes 27 and 25R Washington Street and 10 Coffin Street, for $2.5 million. This acquisition secures critical land and housing that will play a vital role in advancing the Association’s long-term campus plan and mission-driven growth. “This is a game-changing moment for the Maria Mitchell Association and for Nantucket,” said Joanna Roche, Executive Director, Maria Mitchell Association. “The acquisition allows us to thoughtfully expand our campus while deepening our ability to serve the community through science, history, and education.” The acquisition also carries deep historical significance. The Noyes family’s relationship with the Maria Mitchell Association dates to the 1980s, when Robert Noyes served as President of the Board and volunteered extensively on behalf of the organization. The partnership represents a meaningful legacy and a full-circle moment for both the family and the Association. In addition, the Maria Mitchell Association has selected Andrew Kotchen, Michael Luft-Weissberg and the Workshop/APD team to serve as architects for the project. Workshop/APD is a nationally recognized architecture firm with more than 25 years of experience working on Nantucket. Known for its thoughtful, context-sensitive design, the firm brings a deep understanding of the island’s architectural heritage and environmental landscape. “I am truly excited to create this lasting legacy to Maria Mitchell and to this community,” said Andrew Kotchen, founding principal of Workshop/APD. “This project offers a unique opportunity to provide a view into the nature and science of this island while honoring its history and sense of place.” With the property acquisition complete and Workshop/APD in place, the Maria Mitchell Association is prepared to advance into the next phase of the project. Engineering will be led by Nantucket Surveyors, construction oversight by Board Vice President John Wise, and architectural design by Workshop/APD. Over the coming months, the MMA will finalize campus plans incorporating the newly acquired properties, complete updated surveys, and begin the permitting process. Founded in 1902, the Maria Mitchell Association is dedicated to the legacy of astronomer Maria Mitchell Founded in 1902, the Maria Mitchell Association is dedicated to the legacy of astronomer Maria Mitchell through education, research, and preservation in astronomy, natural sciences, and history. The Association’s programs serve thousands of learners annually and inspire curiosity, scientific inquiry, and stewardship of Nantucket’s unique environment. For more information about the Capital Campaign and the future of the Maria Mitchell Association, visit www.mariamitchell.org . ###
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