It's not a cute insect

It's a plant! No, it's a toy! No . . . It's a Mantis!!!!

his wing 40X

A few months prior, a mantis decided to hop into the house which was very surprising because this was around the start of winter, meaning the insects would have likely died before then. Sure enough, the mantis died after lacking mobility for a day. I decided to use that to my advantage and check out its wings.

his wing 40X
 It turns out that while the wings seem somewhat detached from the body except for what is connecting it, there is a thin line of a blood vessel that flows through the wings. While the blood doesn't seem to have the purpose of transferring oxygen filled blood to the wings, it might be there in order to generate heat for the insect when it draws it out as it is shown in some animals such as bats.

A fun fact: The pigments in the mantis's eyes gather depending on the lighting of the environment in order to improve eyesight when hunting.