It’s always fun to come across “big bugs,” and this insect certainly fits that description. While exploring the edge of a forest in southern Illinois, I came across this example of a leaf lookalike. It is medium-sized, usually about an inch and a half, with long antennae.
The Texas Bush Katydid is considered less arboreal than any other species of katydids; it is commonly found clinging to tall course grasses and sedges growing near the edges of wetlands, lakes, ponds, damp ravines and amid prairies, meadows, weedy fields, roadsides and fencerows.
This creature is also often found in forests, woodlands, and shrublands where known for its distinct rattling or lispy songs. Immature examples feed mostly on flowers, while adults feed on the leaves of a variety of plants, especially deciduous woody plants.
When disturbed, it flies a long distance, silently, in a zig-zag manner to another clump of grass or weeds. This insect relies on camouflage to avoid being detected by predators. It has been observed congregating in small colonies of six or more individuals in favored microhabitats.
The Texas Bush Katydid overwinters in the egg stage. Babies hatch in mid-June or July and adults can be found from mid-July to mid-September, sometimes to mid-October, depending on frost occurrence.