A spirea bush in front of the house had two praying mantis egg cases attached to twigs. We first noticed them last fall. Each warm day this spring we checked to see if the young were hatching. It finally happened. They were about 1 cm (<1/2 in) long. They sat for a while to dry and firm up their exoskeleton.
Soon after that they scurried along the twigs and leaves for cover. This one stopped long enough to look back at us before it disappeared. More about the mantis in an earlier post when one of last year’s brood looked into our front window.
Our View From Iowa 
I think they’re among the most appealing insects. I could be wrong, but it seems that more people see butterflies emerge than these little things. Lucky you — and lucky us, that you shared them.
The do have personality with their little grabby paws and swiveling head with big eyes. We were all excited to see them when we walked by yesterday.
Oh, how cool! That is a great shot, “Who are you looking at?”
I wish I had more mantids, but I don’t see them all that often.
I could send you some if I could find and catch them. Or, you could order some. http://bit.ly/2q4AHBM
When I first moved here, I ordered some through mailorder, but I guess they took off for greener, buggier pastures. Either that or they became expensive bird food. 😦 Thanks, Jim!