HMK at HMP

14 OCT 2020 | HMP | Handsome Meadow Katydid (female)

The preceding photograph shows a female Handsome Meadow Katydid (Orchelimum pulchellum) perched on the boardwalk that goes through the central wetland area at Huntley Meadows Park (HMP), Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

Blue eyes are a good field mark for identifying Handsome Meadow Katydids. Notice the long, curved, reddish, scimitar-shaped structure extending from the posterior end of the abdomen. It’s an ovipositor that female katydids …

… use to insert eggs into hiding places … which can be in crevices on plants or even inside plant tissues [endophytic oviposition]. Source Credit: Matt Pelikan, BugGuide group on Facebook.

I like the way the reddish-pink American tearthumb (Persicaria sagittata) flowers in the background complement the color palette of the katydid.

Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Handsome Meadow Katydid (female)

20 SEP 2018 | HMP | Handsome Meadow Katydid (female)

The preceding photograph shows a female Handsome Meadow Katydid (Orchelimum pulchellum) perched on the boardwalk in the central wetland area at Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

Blue eyes are a good field mark for identifying Handsome Meadow Katydids. Notice the long, curved, reddish, scimitar-shaped structure extending from the posterior end of the abdomen. It’s an ovipositor that female katydids …

… use to insert eggs into hiding places … which can be in crevices on plants or even inside plant tissues [endophytic oviposition]. Source Credit: Matt Pelikan, BugGuide group on Facebook.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Year in review: New finds in 2014 (non-odonates)

I’m an equal opportunity photographer. Although I tend to focus on photographing odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) I will photograph anything interesting that catches my eye. This retrospective features non-odonate new finds for 2014.

Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)

21 April 2014 | Huntley Meadows Park

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) warbler

21 April 2014 | Huntley Meadows Park

Bee-like Robber Fly (Laphria macquarti)

22 July 2014 | Huntley Meadows Park

Handsome Meadow Katydids, mating pair (Orchelimum pulchellum)

10 September 2014 | Huntley Meadows Park

Clip-wing Grasshoppers, mating pair (Metaleptea brevicornis)

19 September 2014 | Huntley Meadows Park

Northern Rough Greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus)

19 September 2014 | Huntley Meadows Park

Related Resources:

• Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)
• Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)
• Bee-like Robber Fly (Laphria macquarti)
• Handsome Meadow Katydids, mating pair (Orchelimum pulchellum)
• Clip-wing Grasshoppers (Metaleptea brevicornis)
• Northern Rough Greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus)

Editor’s Note: This is Part 3 in a three-part series — a retrospective look at 2014.

• Part 1. Year in review: New discoveries in 2014
• Part 2. Year in review: New finds in 2014 (odonates)

Copyright © 2014 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Handsome Meadow Katydids (mating pair)

The preceding photograph shows a mating pair of Handsome Meadow Katydids (Orchelimum pulchellum) spotted during a a photowalk along the boardwalk in the central wetland area at Huntley Meadows Park on 10 September 2014.

Can you tell which member of the mating pair is the male and which one is the female? Hint: There is at least one obvious difference between the two individuals.

Look closely at the preceding photo, taken at Huntley Meadows on 12 September 2014. Did you notice the long, curved, reddish-colored structure extending from the posterior end of the abdomen? It’s an ovipositor that female katydids …

… use to insert eggs into hiding places (which can be in crevices on plants or even inside plant tissues). Source Credit: Matt Pelikan, BugGuide group on Facebook.

The following photo was shot at Huntley Meadows on 10 September 2014. This individual is a male, as indicated by the absence of an ovipositor.

The wings pretty much obscure the most visible male parts, but these also have distinctive shapes in katydids and are useful for ID. Source Credit: Matt Pelikan, BugGuide group on Facebook.

Coming full circle to the mating pair of Handsome Meadow Katydids shown in the first photo, the female is on top and the male is on the bottom.

Copyright © 2014 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Handsome Meadow Katydid, redux

The following gallery shows a Handsome Meadow Katydid (Orchelimum pulchellum) spotted during a photowalk through Huntley Meadows Park on 06 November 2013.

This individual is a male, as indicated by the absence of an ovipositor.

The wings pretty much obscure the most visible male parts, but these also have distinctive shapes in katydids and are useful for ID. Source Credit: Matt Pelikan, BugGuide group on Facebook.

Copyright © 2014 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Handsome Meadow Katydid

The preceding photograph shows a female Handsome Meadow Katydid (Orchelimum pulchellum) perching on ripe Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris) hips. Blue eyes are a good field mark for identifying Handsome Meadow Katydids. Thanks to fellow photoblogger Mike Powell for confirming my tentative identification!

Did you notice the long, curved, reddish-colored structure extending from the posterior end of the abdomen? It’s an ovipositor that female katydids …

… use to insert eggs into hiding places (which can be in crevices on plants or even inside plant tissues). Can’t say if she’s actively laying — it’s quite an acrobatic process, involving curling up the abdomen, at least the times I’ve seen it in progress. But her abdomen appears pretty plump which may imply a full load of eggs. Source Credit: Matt Pelikan, BugGuide group on Facebook.

Copyright © 2014 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Chinese Mantid (eating a katydid)

I spotted a Chinese Mantid (Tenodera sinensis sinensis) along the boardwalk that goes through the central wetland area at Huntley Meadows Park. I stopped to shoot some photos, shown below, before continuing my photowalk.

When I walked past the same spot a while later, I noticed the mantid had moved into the vegetation beside the boardwalk and was eating a Handsome Meadow Katydid (Orchelimum pulchellum). It was a brutal scene to watch, but I was compelled to take a few pictures!

Special thanks to Kim Phillips, Small Wonders, for identifying the katydid!

Copyright © 2013 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.