the.com/katydid
a leaf that learned to sing with its wings and walk away from predators
means A katydid is a large green long-horned grasshopper, common in trees and shrubs, named for the rasping call the males make by rubbing their wings together.
from This is one of the rare insects named for what it seems to say: English speakers in North America heard its repeated stridulation as the phrase 'Katy did, Katy didn't,' and christened it accordingly in the early 19th century. It's an onomatopoeic coinage, and 'Katy' itself was just a handy familiar name pressed into service to fit the rhythm of the song.
- wing music
- Rubs forewings together to chirp, no vocal cords
- ear placement
- Hears through tiny organs on its front legs
- name origin
- Named for its call: katy-did, katy-didn't
- master mimic
- Some species are dead ringers for real leaves
- ultrasonic singers
- One species sings above human hearing range
oblong-winged katydid — microcentrum rhombifolium, common north american species with leaf-like wings found across eastern united states
mormon cricket — anabrus simplex, katydid-like insect that swarmed nevada and utah in 2023 in massive numbers
great green bush cricket — tettigonia viridissima, european katydid species known for loud mating calls in summer across temperate regions