Every summer night there’s a free concert performed by a chorus of insects. They’ve been joined by a new performer with a scratchy “voice.”
That voice is the call of male katydids rubbing their wings together in hopes of attracting a mate. There’s a rhythm to the song, and if you use a little imagination, you’ll hear it repeatedly saying its name – “ka-ty-did.”
These tree-dwelling relatives of grasshoppers are easy to hear but rarely seen. They spend their days quietly hiding in trees and bushes, their green bodies and leaf-like wings helping them blend nicely into surrounding foliage.
Come nighttime, you know they’ve been hiding nearby all day. Their nighttime serenade is scratchy and repetitive, but at the same time welcome and soothing.
Crickets provide the background, a constant trill that’s also created by rubbing their wings together.
Enjoy the performance through these weeks of late summer. Have a seat outside and enjoy it while we can.
