It all started a few weeks ago. One morning, I noticed a strange shape, suspended on the brick under my porch light.

It resembled a dried nut, engraved and almost sculpted, but so out of context. Intrigued, I took a photo and searched for more information. It was a praying mantis ootheca — an egg case. Inside, still lives waited for spring.

I left it undisturbed, a silent gesture of respect for nature. Every morning, with my coffee in hand, I passed by and paused for a moment to look at it. It became a small ritual, a break from the frenzy of life. Then I forgot about it.

Until this morning.

I stepped outside with my cup, ready to begin another day like any other. But the air around my door felt different. A slight vibration, almost imperceptible. I leaned down, instinctively holding my breath.

They were everywhere. Hundreds — maybe thousands, climbing the bricks, making their way across the doorframe, spreading across the porch, seeming to dance in the morning light.

What is this? Why are there so many? Where did they all come from? How did they know it was time to emerge?

For the rest of the story, read the article in the first comment

The scene unfolding before my door that morning was surprisingly intense. These weren’t just any insects; they were young praying mantises, recently hatched.

What I saw were tiny creatures emerging from the ootheca, or egg case, which had been fixed to the brick under the porch. The hundreds of small mantises, barely visible and fragile, seemed to take over the space. This phenomenon, known as “synchronized emergence,” is a fascinating characteristic of these insects.

But why so many insects? Why were there so many? These praying mantises were the descendants of an egg laid several months ago, during a time when the temperatures were milder.

In winter, they remained motionless, dormant, inside the egg.

Once spring arrived, with the increase in temperature, a chemical signal was sent, and the young mantises began to emerge all at once, at the precise moment when conditions were optimal for their survival. Their synchronization maximizes their chances of survival against predators.

The phenomenon was a manifestation of nature in all its splendor and mystery, a small reminder of life that, often in the shadows, is preparing to hatch at the perfect moment.