The sprightly Katydid looks like a walking green leaf and has a chirp like no other.

Updated: 1/2/2020; Authored By Staff Writer; Content ©www.InsectIdentification.org

Katydids get their name from the sound they make. Their repetitive clicks and calls sounded like someone saying, "Ka-ty-did", so that phrase became the common name. Both genders are capable of producing the sound. Katydids are related to crickets and grasshoppers, with large back legs for jumping. Unlike grasshoppers, Katydids have extremely long, thin antennae. Unlike crickets, their bodies are more rhomboidal, like a kite with four equal lengths. They have wings and will fly away from danger. Most sightings occur when they land on an object and linger. Some have even gone on car rides, clinging to the hood of the vehicle.



Adults are remarkably well-camouflaged for sitting on trees. Their body resembles a green leaf well, even down to leaf-like veins. Katydids will remain very still when on alert, but will quickly fly away when threatened, scared or disturbed. Nymphs (juveniles) look more like crickets or grasshoppers. They have vivid colors and dark spots or speckles on them. This appearance all changes as they mature.



Katydids lay their eggs on twigs in a single row, one slightly overlapping the egg before it. The eggs are flat, almost like small pumpkin seeds, and they may might not all be the same color.



Katydids eat the leaves from the tops of trees and bushes, where there may be fewer predators and less competition. They can be found in parks, gardens, fields and woods. Adults are most active in summer and autumn, but in Florida, the warm weather allows them to remain active all year long.