“Grasshopper!” That is the usual answer that I get when people have seen sketches or photos that I’ve taken of katydids. That is a pretty reasonable guess. Katydids, grasshoppers and crickets all belong to the order Orthoptera. The katydids certainly share many characteristics with the grasshoppers like their long rear legs. These interesting insects are also sometimes called “long horned grasshoppers” because of their extra-long antennae, especially when compared to the tiny antennae of grasshoppers.
In actuality they are more closely related to the crickets than the grasshoppers. Katydids are insects in the family Terrigoniidae. They are typically well camouflaged in their leafy habitats. Katydids are primarily nocturnal and are frequently heard calling on warm summer nights. They produce their call by rubbing their wings together in a process called stridulation. One forewing possesses a file-like area, while the opposing one has a plectrum. When rubbed together they make a sounds that some people think sounds like “Katy did, Katy didn’t”. The katydid’s call along with the snowy tree crickets, for me really encapsulates the sound of a summer night.
We get loads of these in our gardens and the kids have become experts at finding these despite their cryptic coloration.
Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids (Orthoptera) » Long-horned Orthoptera (Ensifera) » Katydids, Camel Crickets, and relatives (Tettigoniidea) » Katydids (Tettigoniidae) » Phaneropterine Katydids (Phaneropterinae)
Ann Tommasino
Matthew, Your talent seems to have no end or limit….with the exception of time. The Halloween BIRDS immediately brought to mind the DISNEY Lion King costuming for the Broadway play.
I just want to share a project that my daughter was a part of….a very large collection of white,take out, coffee lids were turned into an art piece that depicted the ocean currents of the North Pacific.It was a massive piece, as you might imagine. The lids were bent in half and then attached one by one to show a moment in time of the ocean currents. No land was incorporated. Very abstract….The professor was Susie Ganch at Virginia Commonweath Univ.Susie is know best for her work with ETHICAL JEWELRY making. Christine was chosen to be a part of this year’s class, which is a highly coveted spot. she enjoyed the experience very much. If you google Susie, you can Ocean Currents project.
So Matthew, thank you for sharing your work here on the web.
Your fan from Virginia,(by way of Olean) Ann Tommasino
Matt
That sounds neat, Ann. I’ll check it out!