Growing up in Mississippi, we did not have air conditioning or even fans, so at night all we heard were the night sounds. It was not until I became an adult living in the country that I heard the same sounds!

The sounds were from katydids, their rhythmic calls are among my favorite summertime reminiscences. These insects get their name from the song they sing. It sounds like, ‘Katy did, Katy didn’t,’ and repeats over and over. These insects make a chorus with the crickets starting in late summer in the evening.

Katydids are insects of the order orthoptera that are closely related to crickets. There are 6,400 species in the world, and 255 species in the United States. True katydids, false katydids, shield-backed katydids, meadow katydids and cone-headed katydids make up the 20 species in the Midwest.

Specialists of camouflage, they have no defenses against predators. Their long, narrow green bodies, long hind legs, wings folded vertically over the body, “ears” on their front tibia (legs), sword-like ovipositor and very long antennae extending over the whole body or more, characterize the typical katydid. They range from ¾ inch to 4 inches long.

Katydids are nocturnal, resting during the day to hide from predators. Katydids are preyed upon by frogs, birds, bats, rodents and other insects. Many hide in treetops during the day and come down at night. Females are larger than males, with the obvious ovipositor. Most look leaf-shaped for camouflage and are bright green. Despite having wings, they are poor flyers.

They lay eggs in soil, stems, leaves or bark, and these eggs overwinter and hatch as nymphs in the spring. At this stage, they are small, immature replicas of the adults but without wings. Five stages later, the characteristic adults are complete with wings and ready to mate. The female ovipositor can be curved and sickle-shaped (for laying eggs on plant stems) or long and saber-like (for laying eggs on grass stems). This instrument is used to lay eggs in the ground debris.

They have chewing mouthparts and are herbaceous, though some are predacious, eating other insects and eggs. If you listen after dark you will hear crickets, then later on, you will hear the rasping “cree” of the katydid. They produce the sound by rubbing their forewings against the comb-like file on the legs. Mostly the males make sounds to attract females. Some make clicks and buzzes, depending on the species.

There are other sounds, and you can find recordings of them online. Take some time and enjoy the sounds of the summer nights!

Hughes is an Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer in Mahoning County.