Praying Mantis egg case

After a chilly start, the day warmed... and warmed... and warmed. By noon, it was in the 60s—the 60s, not, as would be appropriate for this time of year, the, well, 6's. I had, on my schedule, a public trek at the Stonington Land Trust's Miner preserve, but I was only along for the walk; I wasn't leading, so I had time to simply enjoy the warmth and the view. This was billed as a bird foray, but the avians weren't especially cooperative. Earlier in the year, however, the praying mantises were remarkably abundant at Miner, and while, of course, the predatory insect adults have long ceased terrorizing the invertebrate population, the females have left behind their characteristic egg masses. Here's one: the promise of spring... and an upcoming season of mantises-to-be.