Monday, August 20, 2012

Insect Mimicry

Once again, our back yard at Park & Seventh provides an opportunity to observe Mother Nature's magic tricks.

While trying to take a roll call of our resident Praying Mantises, I came across a Katydid. It has a green, leaf-shaped body and incredibly long antennae. I am enjoying the Fall-is-coming chorus of Snowy Tree Crickets during these August evenings and hope to hear the Katydid sing soon as well.
The Katydid's body is textured just like a leaf, so when it sits down, it is barely visible.
The tan line down its back even mimics the midrib of a leaf. It seems to be saying, "Nothing to see here, folks - and predators!"

As for the roll call, my neighbor and I spotted three Praying Mantises on the Butterfly Bush, each one a different size and coloration. That made us hopeful for another generation to hatch out in the yard next spring.
(Click on photos to enlarge.)

--Bernice

2 comments:

  1. Saw a praying mantis in the middle of an alley by Nassau Street in lower Manhattan today. I waited for it to climb up to the sidewalk level, but didn't know what to do to help after that. It seemed to know the neighborhood.

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  2. Bernice,

    Your "katydid on leaf" pics are a wonderful illustration of natural selection in action--when I was a kid (back in the day--lol), we used to do our own version of the scientific method--mainly observation.

    Local science-based field trips go a long way to helping kids understand scientific concepts--you just have to let 'em troop around your backyard! :)

    Rebecca

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