There are thousands of species of insects that all belong to the order Orthoptera, including some that many people are familiar with like grasshoppers, crickets, locusts, katydids, etc. (“Species Microcentrum rhombifolium“, 2014).

For my blog, I will be discussing the katydid, specifically the Microcentrum rhombifolium (broad-winged katydid or greater angle-wing katydid). These specific katydids are found in the eastern and southwestern regions of the United States where they live on deciduous trees and shrubs in various habitats (“Species Microcentrum rhombifolium“, 2014).

Pictured: the broad-winged katydid

Before I started my research, I had only ever heard of grasshoppers and crickets, so katydids were completely foreign to me. I chose the katydid for my blog project because they seem like very interesting creatures that I would love to learn more about!

One of the coolest things about the katydids is the sound they make! “Ka-ty-did” is the sound that you can hear when you listen to their repetitive clicks, which is where they get their name (“Katydid (Microcentrum rhombifolium)”, 2019).