Katydid snacking on a flower


The color of this Katydid caught my eye as he clung to a dried reed frond.
I had no idea how long the antennae were when I was taking the pictures.
A second katydid was on a nearby reed stalk, also just hanging on, although he might have been munching on the frond.
Magnolia’s Audubon Swamp, Charleston, SC
October 18, 2021
I spotted this Katydid in a tall stand of swamp sunflowers, a bit above my eye level.
The bloom shows signs of having been snacked on by something. If it was this fellow he had gone into post-lunch stupor as he never moved in the ten minutes or so I was there.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
October 12, 2021
I don’t know if the katydid was eating the Water Lily petals or was looking for the bug that did. Leaves and grass are their primary food source, but they will eat small bugs.
I didn’t realize this was the same flower a half hour later when I passed back by with the same attraction for it. The katydid had moved down to the lower petals with his knees showing, just left of center.
From its behavior I had wondered if this Katydid was munching on some small bugs but don’t see any when I magnify the image.
Perhaps it was wondering how to best attack this star hibiscus for lunch.
He didn’t seem concerned about my presence as I tried some different angles.
This fellow was much shorter and with compact antennae compared to the Long-horned Katydid I found in June.
Katydids are also known as Long-horned Grasshoppers. This one must have been content with his Day Lily perch as he was still there when I moved on after taking several images.
I had no idea that I wasn’t capturing the entire length of the antennae on the closeups. It’s not real clear, but if you zoom in you can see the curled end of the antennae below the tip of the flower petal.