It has been a delight to discover that our new property has a population of common walkingsticks, an herbivore insect that has been uncommon for me to find. I never saw one at our previous house.
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| Juvenile walkingstick |
I first found a large male but we have since seen several juveniles, including this two-inch one that I found this week. According to this link, "Females drop eggs singly on to the forest floor. Eggs overwinter in leaf litter [and] hatch in the spring. Nymphs become adults during the summer and fall." All the more reason to gently rake my leaves this fall.
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| Adult male walkingstick |
The adults feed on the foliage of deciduous plants, including oaks (which we have in abundance, including white oak which they apparently prefer). The juveniles also feed on foliage, but it can be different plants, including black cherry (Prunus serotina) which we also have.
Get out there and discover your #momentinnature. Nature is diverse and amazing when we look around.
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