Praying Mantis

I am usually squeamish about bugs, but not the more interesting ones - like this praying mantis. I was coming in from the yard, and he was on the back porch. When I came back out with my camera he was still there, and did not seem to mind my closeness with the camera. After I took the pictures, I went back in to get a yard stick and measured him - 4 inches.  This is probably the largest one I have come across.

I am calling it 'he', but I don't know that for sure.