Carolina mantis

Description:

Head and thorax almost as long as the body. Antennae about half as long as middle legs. Pale green to brownish grey, often inconspicuous on vegetation. Males usually brown, females green or brown. Wings do not extend to tip of abdomen, especially in female. (Females apparently flightless, or nearly so.) Abdomen of female strongly widened in middle. Tegmina (outer wings) are broad, reaching apical third of the abdomen, with a stigmatic (dark) black patch. (information from BugGuide)

Habitat:

Suburban yard

Notes:

This is a female and she looked really gravid (pregnant). Four days later I did find an ootheca (egg case) on the small dogwood tree where she had been hanging out (see 3rd photo).