twix

twix is a ghost mantis. ghost mantids live 8-12 months, are one of the only communal mantis species, and make great pets. like all mantids they eat only live food: fruit flies when they are young and larger insects later. at this stage i feed twix small crickets and other similarly sized insects.

the sex of a mantis is determined by counting the number of abdomen sections once the mantis has gone through its final molt. since twix has one or two molts left, i cannot determine the sex. 

in february 2019 i embarked on an epic adventure, attempting to walk from georgia to maine. my travels took me through 14 states, through mountains and valleys and rivers, surrounded by happenstance connections with people i willnever forget. in july of that same year i completed my 2192 mile thru-hike of the appalachian trail. there were many highs and lows during the experience, and so many long days of hiking. living at the mercy of the weather for 4 1/2 months was wholly unlike anything a city kid like myself could have expected. but pushing through mile after mile, day after day, made reaching the summit of mt. katahdin one of my proudest moments.