katydids
Green nocturnal chirpers
Katydids are large green insects related to grasshoppers and crickets, known for their loud nighttime calls.
The name imitates the sound males make by rubbing their wings together—a rhythmic rasp that seems to say "katy-did, katy-didn't." Common in North American summers, they're heard far more often than seen: The katydids were deafening that August night.
Friction-produced insect sound
- chirpShort, high avian sound
- callContact by phone
- trillRapid pitch oscillation
- chirrupShort trilling bird sound
acoustics · frequency · resonate · song · mating call · forewings · pulse · rhythm
Sensory appendages on insects
- ovipositorInsect egg-laying appendage
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
- tympanumSound-receiving ear membrane
- forewingsAnterior wing pair
hindlegs · mandibles · compound eyes · spiracles · long antennae
Active during darkness
- foliagePlant's leafy covering
- herbivorousConsuming only plants
- predationHunting and consuming prey
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
meadows · forests · grasslands · canopy · shrubs · diet · leaves · flowers
Insect order with leathery forewings
- entomologyStudy of insects
- hexapodSix-legged arthropod
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
bush crickets · species · genera · classification · relatives · crickets
Reproductive cells in shells
- nymphNature spirit or larva
- instarArthropod developmental stage
- moltingPeriodic shedding of covering
- matingReproductive pairing behavior
oviposition · hatching · metamorphosis · adult · overwintering · generations · leaf litter · emergence
Obscure in meaning
- concealmentAct of hiding something
- disguiseIdentity-concealing alteration
- blendCombine into mixture
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
invisible · hide · stealth · deception · protective coloration · cover · disappear · stillness
stridulation
Friction-produced insect sound
chirrup · acoustics · frequency · resonate · song · mating call · forewings · pulse · rhythm · chorus
antennae
Sensory appendages on insects
- ovipositorInsect egg-laying appendage
- exoskeletonExternal skeletal structure
- tympanumSound-receiving ear membrane
forewings · hindlegs · mandibles · compound eyes · spiracles · long antennae
nocturnal
Active during darkness
- foliagePlant's leafy covering
- herbivorousConsuming only plants
- predationHunting and consuming prey
habitat · meadows · forests · grasslands · canopy · shrubs · diet · leaves · flowers · omnivorous
orthoptera
Insect order with leathery forewings
- entomologyStudy of insects
- hexapodSix-legged arthropod
- arthropodJointed-limb invertebrate phylum
invertebrate · bush crickets · species · genera · classification · relatives · crickets
eggs
Reproductive cells in shells
mating · oviposition · hatching · metamorphosis · adult · overwintering · generations · leaf litter · emergence
cryptic
Obscure in meaning
- concealmentAct of hiding something
- disguiseIdentity-concealing alteration
- blendCombine into mixture
adaptation · invisible · hide · stealth · deception · protective coloration · cover · disappear · stillness · wing patterns
- insectsant, ants, bee, bees, butterfly
- arthropodsarthropod, arthropods, Arthropoda, insects, insect
- invertebratesinvertebrate, arthropod, arthropods, mollusk, crustacean
- nature soundsbirdsong, wolf howl, crickets, wind, rain
- summer soundscrickets, cicadas, birdsong, waves, lawnmower
- insect camouflagestick insects, walking sticks, leaf insects, countershading
katydidsfield crickets
Grassland orthopterans that chirp
crickets · grasshoppers · locusts · mole crickets · camel crickets