Praying Mantis eggcase

In autumn the female will lay her eggs before she dies with the frost. She often deposits them on a branch or twig, but also leaves them on walls, fences and eaves. They are surrounded by a frothy liquid, called ootheca, which hardens into an egg case about the size and shape of a cigarette filter. The following spring the nymphs hatch and burst out of the case in a small army of hungry youngsters, each the size of a small ant. From birth mantis are predators. The nymphs immediately begin attacking leafhoppers, aphids and even small flies.