The Prodigal Katydid
It is always a joy to have a Black-legged Meadow Katydid in the house as autumn threatens to become winter. They are colorful, and their rhythmic songs are a delight. On occasion, we’ve had two at the same time and they sing back and forth as if still proclaiming their desirability.
This is the Black-legged Meadow Katydid song:
Of course, since all our indoor crickets and katydids are senior citizens, they never last as long as we would like (which would ideally be till next summer). They adapt very well to a large mesh cage with the same kinds of plants in which they originally lived. Many of the “Crickets and Katydids in the House” photos I use in this blog were taken of the actual singers in their cages. I cautiously unzip the top of their cages each day when I give them fresh food and hydration cubes, and I occasionally take a couple of quick photos of them. They seldom pay any attention to my camera.
Although our crickets and katydids typically show little interest in going on an adventure outside their cages, we had one significant exception this year.
As I was taking this photo of the Black-legged Meadow Katydid, he suddenly leaped right out of his cage, landing on the dining room table. I tried to catch him, but with one more jump he was on the crossbeams under the table. I almost had him in my hand, but he effortlessly escaped...and vanished.
I was so distressed! I immediately searched on my hands and knees all over the dining room. How far could he have gotten in just a matter of seconds? If he would just sing about his great triumph, I could track him down by sound – but no. Even Nikos (who was being the Good Cat) had no idea where the Black-legged might be. I urgently called for Wendy, who was already asleep. She was willing to immediately jump out of bed and join the search.
I had no idea how far he might have gone. I gradually expanded my search area and decided to try to lure him back with sound. I set my laptop up on the dining room table and had it play my recordings of Black-legged Meadow Katydid songs, hoping he might decide to investigate the challenger.
He did not respond.
If something like this is going to happen, it is always late at night. This was no exception. I kept my vigil at the dining room table, listening for any fragment of song. When I finally went to bed, I felt like an irresponsible failure.
I searched again the next day and evening. Not a single little series of “tic-tic-tics...” Nikos showed no indication of a possible katydid on the loose.
Wendy and I continued to walk very carefully on the outside chance he was still traveling around the downstairs of our little bungalow. I left his cage top wide open and added some fresh food just in case he might be somewhere in the area, but there was no indication of his being anywhere in the house.
The second day he was missing, I sadly looked down at the floor in the dining room and...there he was! He was a little weak and tired, so I was able to catch him right away and place him safely in his cage.
He didn’t sing at first. When he did, it was just a few tentative tic-tic-tics.
He seemed exhausted. By the next day, however, he sang not only a few “tics” but also a short “whirr.’ Over the next two days, his songs gradually regained their decisive rhythm and became a little longer and a bit louder. He was getting stronger, and within two more days had returned to singing his complete songs.
He is still with us, singing triumphantly and leaping from one plant to another while remaining safely in his cage.
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