However, crickets and katydids move their wings so fast that we are unable to hear individual clicks. Instead we hear a chirp or rasp composed of dozens or hundreds of closely spaced clicks delivered in short bursts. Katydids resemble a leaf and easily hide within the upper crown of a hardwood tree. They are named for the rhythmic song they sing in late summer. Now say it three times in quick succession.
Katydids are native to the United States from the East Coast to Nebraska.
The female uses her flat swordlike ovipositor at the tip of her abdomen to deposit eggs into plant tissue in the fall. The eggs wait through the winter and the nymphs emerge the following spring. Meanwhile the songs of aging adults grow slower and slower as temperatures decrease, and they eventually fall silent by October. Enjoy the chorus while you can.