Weird husk thing attached to one of my Brazilian Rain Tree's branches, any ideas what it is?

[tinyzigzag]

It's oval shaped, one side rounds off and is closed while the other side has an opening. I assume some insect or something made it? Does anyone recognize it? It was attached pretty securely but I managed to remove it without harming the branch.

 

[penumbra]

It's a preying mantis cocoon. Good for you.

 

[tinyzigzag]

It's a preying mantis cocoon. Good for you.

That would be cool! It's small though, about the size of my thumbnail. Could it still be a praying mantis cocoon if it's so small? Or is there another critter's egg sac that looks similar?

 

[KikurageOtomo]

That would be cool! It's small though, about the size of my thumbnail. Could it still be a praying mantis cocoon if it's so small? Or is there another critter's egg sac that looks similar?

Praying Mantis first come out of the cocoon in a nymph stage and undergo several molts before they're full sized.

 

[Shibui]

Is that cocoon open at one end?
Mantis egg down here have a number of eggs that hatch through small individual holes.

With a single large hole at one end more likely to be cocoon of some sort of moth or butterfly? but not one I am familiar with.

 

[LittleDingus]

Is that cocoon open at one end?
Mantis egg down here have a number of eggs that hatch through small individual holes.

With a single large hole at one end more likely to be cocoon of some sort of moth or butterfly? but not one I am familiar with.

That was my thought too. Mantis egg sacks always look like someone spit a big snot-ball and it dried up to me. They are actually kind of delicate. Lots of air spaces inside for insulation.

That looks more like a wasp to me...though I don't usually see them on branches.

Meet the Asian mud dauber, Colorado’s newest non-native hunter wasp now eating spiders in your garden

Asian mud daubers have been discovered in Colorado — and maybe your garden — but these hunter wasps are more into spiders than you.

www.denverpost.com

 

[HorseloverFat]

That was my thought too. Mantis egg sacks always look like someone spit a big snot-ball and it dried up to me. They are actually kind of delicate. Lots of air spaces inside for insulation.

That looks more like a wasp to me...though I don't usually see them on branches.

Meet the Asian mud dauber, Colorado’s newest non-native hunter wasp now eating spiders in your garden

Asian mud daubers have been discovered in Colorado — and maybe your garden — but these hunter wasps are more into spiders than you.

www.denverpost.com

Mud daubers are my pals (They will "work" right next to me, hundreds of them, we co-exist well) ... The ones here, nest in the ground or holes in the walls... They don't steal too many leaves.. and only the females take leaves and the men take balls of "dirt", I believe.

I've not seen an external.caccoon for them.. but know they exist.

But I HAVE seen similar objects around mantis heavy prairie areas...

I thought mantis at first, but could DEFINITELY be a cutter/digger wasp.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Looks more like a moth or butterfly cocoon.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Looks more like a moth or butterfly cocoon.

Definitely looks a possibility.... Moth cocoons vary pretty wildly from region to region.