Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Orthoptera

Family: Tettigoniidae

The Northern Bush Katydid (Scudderia septentrionalis) is quite a unique specimen.  Because we see they are in the order "Orthoptera" we know that they are related to both grasshoppers and crickets.  They are a beautiful green color with a bit of dark yellow on their feet and front legs. They are often hidden with the aide of their cryptic coloration. They are slow moving while walking, but they are very fast flyers.   Males have a pair of "claspers" on the end of the abdomen that hold the female in place during mating, while the female has a long, broad ovipositor.  Thit is with this ovipositor that eggs are placed individually inside of leaves.

The Northern Bush Katydid prefers to spend most of its time in the upper portions of trees and shrubs, making them difficult to find.  They are more often heard than they are seen.  They make their songs by rubbing their forewing against their hind wings.

They are primarily leaf-eaters but may also consume other portions of the plant as well.  Additionally, some species may also eat dead insects, insect eggs, or aphids.  Some of their more tropical relatives are more carnivorous than our local species.