I was happy to discover this female Carolina Mantis (Stagmomantis carolina) on my husband’s car in Oct. (2012). There are several large mantids that can be found in Maryland. You can tell it is a female Carolina Mantis because her wings are significantly smaller then her abdomen. In addition, a female’s abdomen is fatter.
Scary isn’t it!
Why is she cool? Because she can rotate her head 180 degrees!