Help! What is this? Thought it was a praying mantis at first.


It is two inches long.

I believe that's a Katydid, Susan.

Thanks Chelle, I looked it up and Katydids are flat looking just like a leaf.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

there are tons of different Katydids they are in the same species as crickets
http://www.discoverlife.org/mp...:

Thanks Jennifer, I didn't see that many pictures one that site and none that look like mine. You say there are lots of different ones so I will keep looking.

Susan, could it be a Conehead Katydid? http://www.pbase.com/image/905... I see those around here too.

Yes!! I do think so. Funny thing is that I have never seen one before, not around here. Never ever! But with such a mild winter, who knows. Plus I have been purchasing a lot of plants this year. Do you think an egg could have been in one of them. I have a ton of bugs this year. I was walking through the grass a couple of weeks ago and there were hundreds and hundreds of baby crickets and I saw several grass hoppers. I have not seen a real grass hopper since I was very young.

More flowers and plants you're putting in is probably attracting more insects

It was a "good" year for grasshoppers - we had tons of them this year too. I saw the same thing with so many baby grasshoppers, and I'd never seen that before. I'm sure the drought and mild winters had a lot to do with it. Grasshoppers are so destructive to plants.

That is what I thought. I was wondering if there was anyway to control them without killing the good bugs like bees. Well at least I have the winter to figure this out. Maybe I can buy some praying mantis and they will have a buffet dinner in the yard. I really did think about buying a few lizards and turn them loose in the yard. They will eat a ton of grasshoppers and crickets, I don't know of anyone doing it but it seemed like a good idea, like frogs they just need a bit of shade and some water. I did not do so yet because it is so close to winter and I know they will die.

Susan,

Here's some pics I took of a Katydid on my house one day on June 2008. First and only time I saw it.

Thanks, they give me the creeps, also this guy!! Took this pic at end of summer and could not find it when I went to post, he is four inches long, just huge! He could have eaten a small Hosta by himself.

Long, gross, ugly and slimy slug! Yuk! Creepy!

If your slugs are anything like ours, he MAY have eaten a whole hosta by himself...!!!

Last year they just about ate a whole hosta before I even knew it had sprouted!!

Bonehead, no wonder you are in Washington? Hey, ten million slugs cant be wrong....

The only way I've ever been able to get a handle on the slugs was to run some loose ducks. Not sure which was worse, the slugs or the duck doo-doo... I'm planning to build a new chicken house this winter/spring, perhaps I'll get a couple ducks again as well.

I'll stick to the Deadline, they got a granular out now and it is a bit more expensive but it will not wash away when it rains. You should like that. Much better than sluggo. The squirrels eat sluggo for lunch, they think it is a buffet.

We tend to have very wet springs, and slugs used to eat everything then. I use iron phosphate now, and never have a problem. It also remains active after rain. I try to apply 2 or 3 times in spring, before planting.

Slugs aren't a problem in summer. I think our conditions are generally too dry for them then.

Karen

That is the active ingredient in most of the slug bait. I guess the trick is to find something that won't wash away when it rains.