Q: Any idea whose eggs these are? They were on an orange tree in Tucson.
A: Katydid laid those eggs. Technically, katydids are grasshoppers of the long-horned variety (Family Tettigoniidae) due to their long antennae. They get their name from the noise they make in the evenings that seems to say ka-ty-did if you use your imagination. Because they often resemble the leaves of trees they inhabit, it is difficult to see them unless they move about. Their eggs resemble small seeds and are laid in a nice row on foliage or stems mostly. Like other grasshoppers, katydids feed on foliage although no appreciable damage is done so they are more of a curiosity than a pest.
Katydids often resemble the leaves of trees they inhabit, so it is difficult to see them unless they move about. Like other grasshoppers, katydids feed on foliage but don’t do much damage, so they are more of a curiosity than a pest.
Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Questions may be emailed to tucsongardensage@gmail.com
