Common garden katydid fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What are common garden katydids?

The common garden katydid (Caedicia simplex) is a leaf-mimicking insect in the cricket and katydid group (Order Orthoptera). It is often active at night and spends the day hidden among leaves, where its wings and body shape help it blend in like a small green leaf. Katydids have very long, fine antennae and powerful hind legs that let them jump quickly if they are disturbed.

A common garden katydid.

Adult common garden katydid uses leaf camouflage to hide among plants.

Where do common garden katydids live?

Common garden katydids live among foliage and are found anywhere trees and shrubs grow, including eucalypt forests, parks and gardens. Because they are great at camouflage and often move at night, you can have katydids nearby without noticing them. A torch walk after dark is one of the best ways to spot them on leaves and stems. Katydids live anywhere trees and shrubs grow.

What do common garden katydids eat?

Adults and nymphs are mainly plant-eaters. They feed on young leaves and petals and may also nibble seeds, fruit, nectar, pollen and occasionally insects. This mix of foods can help them survive in bushland and gardens where different plants flower and grow at different times of year.

Common garden katydids are mainly herbivores.

How do common garden katydids make sound and hear?

Male katydids sing on warm evenings by rubbing their wings together to make a soft chirping call that helps attract a mate. Some katydid calls are too high-pitched for people to hear clearly. Katydids don’t have ears on their heads—instead, they have a hearing organ (a tympanum) on each front leg, just below the “knee.”

What is the life cycle of common garden katydids?

After mating, the female uses a curved egg-laying tube called an ovipositor to place eggs into plant stems or onto leaves and stems. When eggs hatch, the young katydids are called nymphs. Nymphs look like smaller, wingless versions of adults and sometimes resemble black ants when they first hatch. As they grow, they moult 5 or 6 times, with wing buds getting larger after each moult until the final moult produces a fully winged adult.

Katydid nymphs have no wings and grow by moulting.

How do common garden katydids stay safe?

Katydids rely on camouflage. Their leaf-like shape and green colour help them disappear among leaves, and some nymphs can match the colours of new plant growth. If threatened, they can jump away using their strong hind legs. Early hatchlings can also benefit from looking like tough black ants that predators may avoid.

How can you help common garden katydids?

You can make your school or home garden safer for katydids by providing leafy shelter and reducing threats.

• Grow a mix of native shrubs and groundcovers to create hiding places and food.
• Avoid using pesticides where possible, especially on flowering and leafy plants that insects use for food and shelter.
• Leave some leaves and logs in garden beds—many invertebrates use this as habitat.
• Look for katydids at night with a torch and record what you find using iNaturalist.

Common garden katydids are most active at night.

Related fact sheets

More invertebrate fact sheets

• Invertebrate fact sheets – overview
• Insects fact sheet

Habitats and ecosystems

• Shrub habitat fact sheet
• Tree habitats fact sheet
• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet
• Eucalypt forests fact sheet

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