A couple of weeks ago, I found a mantis ootheca on a blackberry briar down below Links Pond.  The ootheca  is a hard casing containing many eggs.  I didn't know what it was at the time, but figured it was some sort of insect cocoon.  Yesterday, when I walked by, it was covered with Praying Mantis nymphs..  Apparently, the ootheca is laid by the female mantis in the fall and the little ones emerge in the spring.   This ootheca had between 50 and 100 nymphs crawling on it and a nearby leaf.  I don't have a true macro lens, and the conditions were not optimal (overcast) for shooting this sort of subject, but was able to get a few acceptable images by simply taking a lot of shots with a relatively wide depth of field using a slow shutter speed.

Praying Mantis nymphs on Blackberry briar leaf Praying Mantis ootheca and nymphs Nymphs on the ootheca Nymphs on a briar