Just discovered this thread this morning and have read all the posts. Fascinating!
I was so excited recently when I finally got all the junk moved and could mow the big section behind the garage. But, as I was doing the initial trimming with a weed eater, I spotted a brown mantis. And another. And another. I decided to let the wild things -- grasses, weeds and critters -- have that that area as their own. I have plenty of other places to mow.
Some years back, I visited a shop that specialized in welded art. One of the items was a statue, about five foot tall, of a female mantis eating a male. It was called "The Honeymoon."