Covid lockdown provides opportunities for a Banbury photographer - this is his Katydid

Keen Banbury photographer Phil Lucas has made the most of lockdown by going out and about with his trusty camera.
A close up of the Katydid spotted by photographer Phil LucasA close up of the Katydid spotted by photographer Phil Lucas
A close up of the Katydid spotted by photographer Phil Lucas

Mr Lucas, of Banbury, took this fascinating picture of a seldom-seen insect that looks a bit like a walking green leaf.

It is, in fact a relative of the grasshopper and cricket family and is called a Katydid.

"I found this Katydid on my car when I was parked near Chipping Norton a while ago. They are related to crickets and grasshoppers but have much longer antennae. They are quite harmless but not often seen," he said.

Grasshoppers, crickets and Katydids can be green or brown and there are some very rare pink Katydids. To distinguish them experts say if the antennae are longer than the body, it is a Katydid or a cricket.

Katydids get their name from the noise they make and they are masters of camouflage which is why they are seldom seen. Entomologists say they are usually inactive during the day so relatively little is known about them and Mr Lucas was fortunate to see one in bright summer sunshine.

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