It is one of those freezing nights when my dogs want no part of stepping outside unless I go with them. Standing in the backyard waiting for them, I am struck by the silence. There is no rustling under the trees, no frogs or crickets calling, and definitely no katydid songs.

Since there were no actual katydids for me to listen to, I pulled up these pictures from September when I was trying out a new macro lens. I first thought this katydid had an injury- but it turns out, that hole below her “elbow” is her ear!

Can you imagine how much easier it would be to locate sounds if we could just wave around our elbows? Long sleeves would need a redesign but I’m sure we could figure it out.

Hopefully she (you can see her ovipositor at the back of her abdomen) tucked away some eggs that will survive the winter and hatch out in our yard next spring.