Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Katydids, Order Orthoptera
The insects in this group are some of the most recognized, both visually and by sound. What would a summer’s night be without the sound of crickets and katydids? Or a summer’s day without the serenade of grasshoppers? At times, grasshoppers can be pests on crops and many are not picky on what they eat. The band-wing grasshoppers have excellent camouflage when sitting on the ground. If disturbed, they leap up with a loud cracking sound and flash their brightly colored hind wings, only to land and disappear confounding a predator. Many katydids are excellent leaf mimics.
