Katydid

Tettigoniidae Phaneropterinae

Ironic after a discussion with one of my young followers, Cole and his Mom (Lynniecoady) a few days ago, were we established that the weird looking hopper was a brown katydid, that I should find a katydid of my own to show.

I have seen these creatures before, but they are a rare sight for me, partly because they prefer grassy terrain, partly because they are so difficult to see with their excellent camouflage and partly because they are most active at night, hiding away during the day.

Like the green crested lizard, they have total faith in their camouflage and are reluctant to move when disturbed. I was able to pick this female up and reposition in a more photo friendly location, the hard part was trying to get her off my hand and back onto the leaf.

Not a great deal of information on the web, but they are most famous for their singing qualities and is probably were the katydid name comes from, as that is the sound that they make, "katydid katydidn't"

Hope you enjoy this one Cole :)

Dave