Alien Pods from Outer Space!

[best appreciated at full size against black]

Ok, ok, I'm lying!! Do you have any idea what these two weird things are?! When I first found one of these, I thought I'd seen one before, years ago. But where? And what could it possibly be?

These are Praying Mantis egg cases!! Aren't they strange looking?!! Once, many years ago, I found these egg cases for sale at a local nursery. You put them in a container in a warm, dry place and in a few weeks, they hatch into zillions of adorable, perfectly miniature praying mantises! I released them into our backyard and I looked forward to seeing them around the yard...but I never saw a single one after I released them! BOO HOO!!! (By the way, you too, can buy your own egg cases and hatch hundreds of baby mantids to release in your garden! These are also something very fun to share with your kids to teach them about insect life cycles! www.amazon.com/Egg-Cases-Chinese-Praying-Mantis/dp/B000MR...)

These cases were found on the underside of a log when Steve and I went on a hike near Ashland, Oregon, but I've found them on our property too, under rocks and a branch. I am always on the lookout for these amazing insects, but I've never seen one! They are such camouflage artists! If you would like to know more about these elusive, beneficial predators, here's a great Wiki page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis

This image was taken in February, 2012.