Sounds of the forest: part 4

From the sounds of things, the cicadas are nearly done with their singing, but the katydids have picked up right where they left off, only louder. Much louder. And at night.

While the cidadas usually make their noise during the day, the katydids begin at night. They sound to me like lots of ducks quacking obnoxiously or maybe just birds chirping (still obnoxiously). And did I mention they are loud? This makes it quite difficult for me to sleep, especially with the windows open.

As with most things around here, I had to do some research to learn more. I read that the American name katydid comes from the male call which supposedly sounds like “Katy did, Katy didn’t,” but I have not noticed this resemblance. They are also called bush-crickets. They are typically green and look like a leaf, but some are gray, tan, brown, or pink.

The only one I’ve seen was at night, sitting on the outside of a window. Steve observed that it was missing a leg. It was not a good photo opportunity, so I’m still watching and waiting for a picture of my own (and hoping I learn to sleep through this sound of the forest).