SOUNDS OF THE SEASON

Rex Burress

Breakfast in the dawn of a dark October morning came with a surprise visitor. The shadow on the wall rather startled me though it was a week before Halloween!

In the light, I saw that it was a large green katydid! I had no idea how it got in the house [just as how the previous 12-inch alligator lizard got in], but I caught the long-legged insect and would have released it outdoors, but it was cold out there, plus the life-span is one year.

I had no idea Katydids were around my California garden. (And from where do the praying mantis' come?) Although there are several katydid species in CA, the songsters are more commonly found in Eastern states with warm humid summer nights when they are active. There are over 6,400 species of the katydid family, Tettigoniidae, around the world, which includes crickets and grasshoppers.

In fact, you know those woodland prowlers are around when their night symphonies become a deafening roar! I was visiting my cousins in Arkansas one summer, and I stepped outside in the dark to be greeted by a thunderous sound from 'a million or more' sound-making katydids, crickets, and cicadas! The singers were quite apparent in Northern Missouri, too, and it only takes a few to keep you awake. The shrill sounds are made by rubbing the wings together, and it all has to do with sex.

The captured katydid died, and I proceeded to find my10X geologist hand lens for a closeup look. The first thing you notice are the long hind legs that resemble a grasshopper to which they are related. Even the head resembles a mini-grasshopper, but it's the long antennae that differs, often longer than the body in katydids and crickets. I knew it was a female because it had a curved ovipositor. The male has none. The body is green, humped, and the long wings are net-veined. Overall, it appears to be the Angular-winged Katydid [Microcentrum rhombbifolium] according to the guide, “California Insects,” by Jerry Powell.

The sexual story is incredible. The male carries on all those loud screeching trills to gain the attention of ladies that hunt down the strongest singers--because--the male has a gift for her! He produces a nutritious love packet that she can eat while he inserts a spermatophoric pack of sperm! The louder the male trill, the more robust the sperm pack, and that affects her decision! That's a turn-around compared to humans, where the male seeks an attractive woman and will travel 2,000 miles to seal the deal! I will admit that I traveled from Missouri to California for a splendid lady!

Additionally, some katydid species, like the Tuberous Bush Cricket [Platcieis affinis] of Europe has the largest testes of any animal in proportion to size, comprising 14% of its body. Polygamy is the style, with females taking the sperm of numerous males so she can eat the gift boxes. She is a 'cuckord,' adulterous wife!

Grasshoppers and crickets are also part of the katydid family in the order of Orthoptera. Grasshoppers have the strongest legs, short antennae, but not much sound. However, the Grylidae family of true crickets are very noisy. Camel crickets, Jerusalem crickets, and sand treader crickets are in other families. All crickets are good to eat and are major foods in some countries, being more nutritious than steak! Raising crickets is a stable for feeding pet lizards.

Imagine the great amount of time it took to record all these insect observations so that nature devotees can be better informed.

Now it is autumn and as colder weather approaches, the insects will go into winter dormancy, not to toot their shrieks until the warmth of the springtime. Winter sounds will be mostly the Sound of Silence! But go to the marshes and hear the call of the wild goose! Know them by their signs of the seasons.

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love./We will love only what we understand./We will understand only what we are taught.”--Baba Dioum

“The best way to know God is to love many things.”--Vincent Van Gogh

“Earth's crammed full of heaven, and every common bush is afire with God. But only those who see take off their shoes; the rest walk around picking blackberries.”--Elizabeth Browning