Backyard observations per Claude…

This appears to be a praying mantis that has recently molted (shed its exoskeleton).

What you’re seeing is the mantis emerging from or having just emerged from its old exoskeleton, which is the whitish, translucent casing visible in the image.
During molting, mantises hang upside down and slowly work their way out of their old, restrictive exoskeleton as they grow. The process can take several hours, and afterward they need time for their new, soft exoskeleton to harden and darken to its normal color.

The mantis in your photo appears to be in the vulnerable post-molt stage – you can see how pale and soft-looking it appears compared to how mantises normally look. The old exoskeleton (called an exuvia) often remains hanging nearby after the molt is complete, which seems to be what’s captured here.

This is a fascinating and critical process in a mantis’s development, as they must molt multiple times as they grow from nymph to adult. During this time, they’re quite vulnerable since their new exoskeleton hasn’t hardened yet, so they typically seek sheltered locations for this process.