Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcata)

Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcata)
Photo by Brad Sylvester. Copyright 2011. Do not copy.

I found this katydid in a window box on my back deck. It's color matched the green of the strawberry plant leaves upon which it sat very closely, as you can see from the picture to the left. katydids belong to the same animal Order as grasshoppers and crickets, Orthoptera. The physical similarities between them are obvious.

Katydids often prefer woodland trees and shrubs to the grasses usually sought by grasshoppers. Their loud calls can be heard from the tree line along country roads throughout New England. The Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcata) is present throughout North America, pretty much anywhere from Mexico and north to wherever there are deciduous trees say the Audubon Field Guide. This species measures up to 2 inches long.

Quick Facts about the Fork-tailed Bush katydid (Scudderia furcata):

Diet: Herbivore. This species of katydid eats the leaves of trees and bushes.

When is it here? The fork-tailed bush katydid lives here all year round, overwintering as eggs.

Lifespan: Just over a year, including time in the egg.

Lifecycle: The eggs are laid in the fall and do not hatch until spring. The adults die off with freezing temperatures as winter approaches.

Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcata)
Photo by Brad Sylvester. Copyright 2011. Do not copy.

Status: Common and widespread