Northland Nature: Orthoptera chirp away in August
Aug. 4—According to the calendar, halfway between the summer solstice in June and the autumnal equinox in September is the first week of August. This time could be called midsummer.
August is carrying on the warm season from July. Roadsides still glow with lots of wildflowers, but the dominance has shifted from fireweeds, milkweeds and evening primroses of July to the trio of August: goldenrods, sunflowers and asters. This floral show will continue for weeks.
August is also the season of early harvest. Produce from the gardens let us partake of the growth in the last months. Berry picking continues with blackberries being added to the juicy delights of strawberry, raspberry, juneberry, blueberry and pin cherry.
Birds are silent in August. Only a few such as the persistent red-eyed vireos are still vocal. And, yes, there are some migration movements among warblers, swallows and shorebirds. But maybe the most obvious happening in August is with insects.
We have been dealing with these six-legged residents for weeks, but the trend changes a bit as we move into late summer. We still see lots of butterflies and dragonflies — not the same as earlier. Monarchs of the migrating generation are starting to emerge from chrysalises. Large green darner dragonflies are active with the small meadowhawks.
Leaving the porch light on at night brings in myriad insects, mostly moths. Bees are active with their hives and wasps and hornets are enlarging their nests to keep things going in the daytime, while the "dog day" cicadas give the buzzing calls from the trees.
Where there are insects, there are spiders. This month is a great time to see spiderwebs. After growing in early summer, they are larger now. We frequently get dew and fog in August, allowing us to see the abundance of webs in the mornings. All types of webs abound. During a single morning walk an observer can see cob webs, sheet webs, funnel webs and orb webs — a scene lasting for weeks.
Another group of insects that take advantage of the weather conditions are grasshoppers. They seem to thrive in the heat. Hanging onto various plant stems during the night, they become active in the morning sunlight and it is hard to walk through a field without seeing them.
Growing through the previous weeks, they are now mature. For insects that often means developing wings. Grasshoppers, often green, will hop as the move. Their larger cousins, the locusts, may be brown or gray and frequently take wing when disturbed. Grasshoppers and locusts belong to a group called Orthoptera, which means "straight wings."
Two other members of this group are here, too. Crickets, dark in color and usually near the ground, are not seen as often; their chirping is heard. Katydids, which look much like grasshoppers, are mostly green with very long antennae. They are best known for creaking lisping sounds made by males in the late afternoons and evenings.
Recently, as I sat on the deck, I had a visit from a katydid that was brown. This shield katydid gets its name from a growth on the thorax. Living in meadows, they are about 1.5 inches long with antennae as long as the body; it was an impressive insect. The one that I watched was a female. In addition to the long antennae at the head end, it has a long "tail" appendage, the ovipositor, for laying eggs in the ground.
I hope to see and hear more katydids and other Orthoptera as we grow through this month, but it was sure a great to have a visit from a brown shield katydid at the start of this month.
