Found in the Gryllidae family in the Orthoptera order of crickets, roaches, mantids and grasshoppers, the tree cricket is part of the Oecanthinae subfamily. They are nocturnal insects and often hard to spot since they easily camouflage their presence among the leaves of their chosen habitat. Unlike other species of crickets, the tree cricket always makes its home within woody plants. Their rich trill is heard only during the evening hours and is usually the loudest of the cricket sounds heard at night. The back legs are made up of three segments that aid the creature with jumping.
Tree crickets have two pair of wings, one appearing to cover the other.
The front wings are hard, shell like structures and the second pair of wings, which are used for flying, are made up of a thin membrane type material. Depending on where the tree cricket decides to make its home, they are considered both beneficial insects and pest. Unlike others of the cricket species that feed on plants, the tree cricket feeds on small insects. This has made them very beneficial in areas where aphids are a problem since this is one of their favorite meals. But even though this helps during certain times of the year, the tree crickets eggs laying habits have been found to be extremely damaging to some trees.