I have this giant grasshopper looking leaf insect on my window screen. Is this a good insect or a back insect? NM

It sounds like you are describing a katydid. We all know that Katy Lied, but none of us know what Katy Did… (musical reference - Steely Dan released an album years ago called Katy Lied and every time I hear the word katydid, that’s where my brain goes).

In researching how the insect came to be called a katydid one runs across a curious history. Apparently, the word “katy” is an olde word for a wanton or sexually promiscuous woman. There are associated folk tales and songs about wronged and vengeful women and what actions that followed in tales of whether katy-did or katy-didn’t commit the crime. There’s also an old story about a woman named Katy who was scorned by a man who left her to marry another woman. When the couple was found poisoned, the katydids apparently bore witness to Katy’s guilt with their rasping sounds. Who killed the couple? Katydid. I am sure she denied it, but according to Steely Dan… Katy Lied. Ok, back to entomology.

Katydids are related to grasshoppers and crickets but are probably more closely related to crickets. Worldwide there are about 6400 varieties of katydids with about 255 of those in North America. The ones we are usually familiar with are green and blend in with the foliage really well since their green color and leaf shape look surprisingly like leaves. If you have never seen one, I pretty much guarantee you have heard one because of their distinctive sound.

While they can make sounds during the day, it is most likely you have heard them at night making what some call their “rasping sound.” They make these sounds with their wings. One wing has a rigid scraper while the other has a comb like file. Rubbing these together produces their distinctive nighttime sound. If you are not sure what I am talking about, you can search the internet for katydid sound. Typically, they start late at night and continue till near dawn with quick bursts of two, three, or four of the rasping sounds.

As is true in many creatures, it is the males that generate most of the noise in their quest to find a female. Apparently, there is a fair amount of competition between the males to attract a female; the louder the better. Females have the upper hand here as they choose their mates, so a louder sound seems to indicate a healthier male with which to mate. These sounds are also used to establish territory and for defensive posturing. But all this works toward finding a mate. Katydids hear this sound via a tympanum which is located in either a slot or a flat patch on their front legs.

The body of a katydid is taller than it is wide with thin hind legs that are the longest of their legs. They also have very long antennae, oftentimes as long as or even longer than their bodies. Grasshopper antennae are typically short and thicker.

These antennae are covered with receptors katydids use to help them navigate around in the dark since they are primarily nocturnal creatures. Depending on the species, katydids can range from 1/2 inch in length to 4 inches long. Most of the ones we will see are of this longer variety. Females are usually larger than the males and have an easily noticeable ovipositor found at the back end of their abdomen which is used for depositing eggs in plant stems or in the ground.

While they have rather large wings, they aren’t the best at flying and tend to flap their wings as they jump using those large rear legs.

While the ones we are familiar with around here are green, it is estimated that one inf every 500 katydids is pink. This condition is similar to what happens with albino animals and is called erythrism. At one point the New Orleans Audubon Insectarium had a pink male and female who produced a brood of pink baby katydids. Not sure if that is still the case, but again, you can search the internet for photos.

In the wild, pink katydids probably don’t do well because they would stand out making them easy for predators to spot. While the green ones are harder to find, they are a food source for birds, rodents, bats, spiders, tree frogs, and praying mantids.

Like many insects, katydids have chewing mouth parts and will eat a variety of plants. However, they are rarely found in concentrations that would cause any damage that should concern you. They will most likely be found chewing on leaves or flowers in your garden in the late summer. But again, this is typically not a problem. In the tropics, there are katydids that feed on other insects, but here they are herbaceous.

We have one that visits us during lunch occasionally. It’s quite fun. See you in the garden!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: David Cappaert, Bugwood.org