...because it does not look at all like the dragonfly exuviae images I posted here and here . In fact, it was the different appearance--the thicker and differently proportioned legs, the differently shaped body and head, the vestigial wings--which led me to take the picture, since I already had quite a few images of undoubted dragonfly exuviae. My reason for thinking it might have been an orthopteran was both its shape (very much like a late grasshopper instar, including the tiny "wings") but also that last summer I saw both large instar and adult differential grasshoppers feeding on water iris leaves at this pond.

If you're sure that it's a dragonfly exuviae, can you suggest which genus it might be?

This exuviae has all the anatomical parts for a Odonate. Will look at the literature that I have with me tomorrow. Since I am not all that familiar with Texas odes, I will will take a chance and say someting like Eastern Amberwing or Celithemis sp.

Got out the manuals.... and this one appears to be a Brachymesia furcata Red-tailed Pennant.

...I haven't ever seen one here, and it's not listed for our county or any counties within 100-200 miles. (The county lists show them far to the south and along the coast.)

Not being from Texas I was just going with what I had to look at of your image. Brachymesia is of the subfamily Libellulinae.