I found this long-legged Katydid Nymph during a hike in the Smokies.
This Katydid's "eardrum", or tympanic membrane, is visible on its front leg.
Nancy, one of the participants at the 2008 Bugguide Gathering, studies Tree Crickets. Everyone was surprised when she came out of the woods with her flashlight and told us she had something she wanted to show us. This photo shows how the male tree cricket modifies a leaf to amplify his chirping sound. He chews a hole in the leaf, sticks his head through the hole, and then uses the hole to amplify the sound of the chirps to attract a female! How cool is that!? As later written by Nancy, "This photo also shows the (brown) metanotal gland area (like a tree cricket honey pot) -- where the female will feed while he slips the spermatophore where it needs to be." She is the expert and can say it a lot better than I can!
