Katydid << KAY tih dihd >> is a large green or brown insect with long antennae (feelers). Katydids are sometimes called long-horned grasshoppers, although they are not really grasshoppers. Katydids get their name from the love call of the male of a certain species in the Eastern United States. Katydids rub the bases of their front wings together to make their sounds. Little filelike ridges on the wings form a sort of scraper. Many katydids begin their song at twilight and sing all night. Katydids are heard most often during the late summer and the autumn.
Most katydids are about 2 inches (5 centimeters) long. They have large wings that fold over their back. In some species, the threadlike antennae are longer than the body. Many katydids are shaped like leaves, and the veins in their wings look like the veins of leaves.
Most katydids live in trees and bushes, and feed on leaves and young twigs. Other katydids eat decaying vegetation and dead insects. A few katydids will capture and eat other insects. Katydids lay their flat, oval, slate-gray eggs from early fall until frost appears. Many of them lay their eggs in double, overlapping rows on the edges of leaves and on twigs. The eggs hatch the next spring. Young katydids are long-legged. They look like adult katydids but have no wings.
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