I brought home quite a few critters in a tub of elderberries this afternoon. Spent two hours taking berries off the stems, and I've probably got an hour to go. Tomorrow. I've had enough fun for today.
The count includes: one stink bug, one unknown beetle, two little spiders, two little green worms, three tiny snails, and...
A lovely, lively katydid! I really love these insects.
They are cousins of the grasshopper, all order Orthoptera, family Tettigoniidae for katydids. There are thousands of Tettigoniidae. However, I think it's in the genus Amblycorypha, but there are a couple of choices there, and I'm not clear on the differences.
The males "sing" by rubbing their wings together, and they say "katy-did."
My mother had little ditties for many occasions. Whenever we would hear one of these insects, she would sing the song "K-k-k-katy, beautiful Katy/ You're the only g-g-g-girl that I adore/ When the m-m-m-moon shines over the cow shed/ I'll be waiting at the k-k-k-kitchen door." I suspect you have to be at least as old as I am to have heard that song.
I didn't manage to get a picture in which you can tell if this is a girl or boy katydid!
By the way, katydids aren't aggressive, but they can give you a painful bite if they are so inclined. Not dangerous, but you will definitely know something bit you!
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8 comments:
I love katydids. I love how they click away to announce the end of summer. I have someone clicking in my yard tonight, but I don't see him.
I know that song. I think I learned it from my dad. Anyway, it's wonderful to be able to go out and find natural food. I'd love to find a katydid in my produce. These days, it's reassuring to find bugs.:)
Not dangerous.
Those are the most important words I want to know.
That was quite the haul, which included Singer Green. I do know the song, but then I am a little older than you.
We put the elderberries in large paper bags, then into the freezer. The berries strip right off. Heck on katydids, though.
There was a girl I used to work with that we used to katydid
Lin- Glad you like them too!
Ivy- are your insects in trouble? Too many pesticides?
rainfield- it's really hard to know what things to respect in a back yard half a world away.
Chuck- I suspected you would know it!
vanilla- I tried your method. Pretty tricky! Why don't you like katydids?
Ann- not sure what you used to do, but I'll bet it was fun.
Oh, no,no. I like katydids just fine; I meant they were apt to expire in the freezer!
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