Our Fuchsia plant is a tasty meal for this Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid
This is an iPhone 6 photograph of this beautifully green colored Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid, Scudderia cuneata (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae). They are a similar species to the short-horned grasshopper and are widespread in the eastern and southeastern United States. They’re also found in California, Maine and Texas. They are native to the U.S.
They resemble grasshoppers but their rear legs are long and thin. Males have an unusual forked appendage at the end of their abdomen called a furcula. Katydids have much longer antennae than grasshoppers. They have excellent eyesight and, when startled, they can hide behind leaves very quickly. Their hosts are primarily citrus plants especially the sweet orange. They feed on the young fruit causing a circular scar in the peel and, on the leaves, they leave ragged circular holes (very noticeable on our plant). While we do not have any citrus plants directly around our house, there is a citrus tree at the house across the court from us.
reference: Citrus Pests
7 Comments on “Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid”
A beautiful bug! Glad the fuchsia will survive, along with the bug.
Thanks Laurie…
Beautifully captured image.Brilliant color.Thanks for all the info. O.K.- now I want to know what became of the little “darling” that was eating your plant?
He was transported, by hand, to a special area where he can eat until his little tummy is full.
Wonderful Picture, indeed !
Very interesting. Beautiful shot. How do you like using your iPhone 6 for photos?
Tanks… So far, I love the camera in the iPhone 6. The quality of the images is really good and, in this image, I was able to be in focus up pretty close to the insect.