Katydid – Or Did She?

Walking along I saw what looked like a leaf laying on its edge. Curiosity piqued, I went over and took a closer look. A katydid!

The detailed veining on their green, oval-shaped bodies makes each one look like a leaf— phenomenal camouflage when you spend the majority of the day eating leaves in tree tops and don’t want to be seen by a predator.

With ears located on their front legs, katydids rub their front wings together to sing. Preferring to walk and climb, they have the ability to fly short distances, but do so only when they feel threatened.

This little gal wasn’t scared of me. In fact, she let me give her a ride out of traffic on a twig.

When was the last time you hid in plain sight?

© lauriebuchanan.com

Hop, Skip, and a Jump

We live a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Laura Moore Cunningham Memorial Arboretum. According to my VivoSmart fitness band, the rows between the trees add up to two miles. A great place for Willa to run off lead, we go there regularly to get in two of her six daily miles.

On one such occasion, Willa—a few rows over from me—stopped abruptly, put her forearms on the ground, stuck her butt up in the air, and remained stock still except for her metronome tail. When I reached her, this is what I saw (click to enlarge):

Arboretum - bunny 1 - copy

Desperately trying to blend in, this little fellow didn’t want to be seen; its only movement was an occasional blink. Willa and I left him alone so his most-likely racing heart could settle back to a normal rate.

Are you more of a blender-inner, or a stander-outer?

© lauriebuchanan.com