That's a praying mantis egg case. Lucky you!

That kind of looks like a Carolina Praying Mantis ootheca (egg sac). I am doing some more searching. Will get back to you.

I think it's neither an egg sac or a cocoon. It looks like a pupa of some sort of butterfly or moth. There are some real insect nerds ovdr on the pest disease forum or try the butterfly forum

I also was able to ID it as some kind of mantis egg sac. Very exciting. If anyone knows more specifically which kind, I'd be much obliged. I'm in Los Angeles, and while I hadn't seen any praying mantises in my garden, clearly something of the kind has been there!

Yep, mantid ootheca. This would be an unwelcome sight in my garden where the darned things are more interested in bees and butterflies than scrounging around for pests!

Most people are happy to see them, though.

One more for mantis eggcase.

Rhizo- I have a lovely picture of one hanging upside down eating a cabbage moth. Not all butterflies are welcome, after all. :) I've seen the big ones eat grasshoppers who were eating the zinnias and once spied a wee one eating a wee bug... I think what they eat depends on how big they are.