A colorful katydid chirps hello, while shy Kulindadromeus gives a little wave…

Katydids have been singing their songs for a very, very long time. Some are green and look just like a leaf, while others have striking patterns of green, brown, and yellow to break up their body shape and blend in with the colors around them.

I have a few different kinds of katydids here on the homestead in Texas, and I love to go out on a summer night and listen to their songs.

Just imagine, long ago, dinosaurs were also outside late one summer evening, listening to those same songs. Looking up at stars brighter than they are now, arranged in unfamiliar patterns, but still the same stars.

Perhaps Kulindadromeus didn’t do much star gazing, living in a forest, but it definitely would have heard sounds very much like the videos down below. The first is a reconstruction based on fossils of a Jurassic katydid. Its wings were preserved so well they could figure out the sound it made! The second shows a few of the different songs katydids can sing, and the last video shows how they use their wings to make music.

And the Critter of the Month is…

While we’re relaxing and listening to katydids, Nessie cruises up to give us a lazy wave of her flipper. She’s really good at Hide and Seek, and it took a while to find her. Not even her favorite pink shell could coax her out of hiding, but it looks like she likes the katydid’s music.

Thank you for stopping by and sharing a little time with me, I hope you are having a wonderful summer!

See you August 1st for the next Critter of the Month!

This swimmer just wants a friend. 🙂

Share your guess in the comments! He’ll be one of the critters over on the critter page. 🙂