Katydids – Tendrils

An August night. Open windows. Insects making lovely sounds in the inky darkness. A precious friend of mine told me that when her children were young they believed the night sounds of summer were the stars singing.

Those sounds in the night in reality are Katydids (Tettigoniidae). Cool green insects. In North America there are about 255 species of Katydids.

Most Katydids are noctunal and those sounds you hear in the night are their mating calls. This sound is made by rubbing a hind leg on one wing. They have flat patches on their legs that act as ears which allow them to hear the sounds that are made during the night.

Like moths, leave on your porch light and Katydids will be attracted to the bright light.

Katydids have the perfect camouflage for leaf-eaters, looking just like the leaves they are eating. They’ll also eat flowers, dead insects, insect eggs, or aphids that are slow enough to be caught by the Katydids. But I will always remember the thought of those beautiful stars on a warm summer night singing like a chorus of Katydids!

Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus). A bird that I seldom see. In part perhaps because they will sit in dense shrubbery sitting perfectly still, like a frog that is trying to convince you that, “You can’t see me.” They do this as they are watching and waiting for a meal to come by. Few birds will eat hairy caterpillars but this doesn’t stop the Yellow-billed Cuckoos who will consume thousands of caterpillars per season. They also eat cicadas, tent caterpillars, webworms, katydids, crickets, and even frogs and lizards. They may hop to the ground to catch the frog or lizard that they spot, or fly from their perch to catch a flying insect, midair.

Flying to South America in the winter, returning late April to early May. I look forward to at least hearing the Yellow-billed Cuckoo this summer. Both males and females make a soft cooing sound which reminds me of a Mourning Dove. Another sound, to me a more distinctive sound, a hollow sounding, rapid, harsh, rattling ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-kow-kow-kowp, kowp, kowp, kowp, slowing down at the end. A sound that I can’t say sounds like any other bird. It would be such a delight to see one of these Blue Jay sized birds, but knowing their shy nature I’ll be quite happy to at least hear one.