Carolina Mantis

Hi Anthony, I agree with Courtney, this is a male Carolina Mantis nymph. The males have long, thin abdomens (unlike the females which have a wider abdomen). They also have that lovely coloration. Adult males have long wings but yours is a nymph and his wings are not fully developed. You can see the wing buds just bast where the thorax meets the abdomen (those little dark "pads"). Here are some more images to compare to yours: http://bugguide.net/node/view/143437 http://bugguide.net/node/view/323467 http://bugguide.net/node/view/144222 Info page on Bugguide for the Carolina Mantis: http://bugguide.net/node/view/4821

The Carolina mantis has a much thicker abdomen section, longer wings & lacks the 'twiggy' appearance.

Maybe a Carolina Mantis http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/6954206

I think this is actually a walking stick not a mantis!