I love insects with definitive identifications. When I type “big green katydid” into Google, this bad boy pops right up (along with suggestions that I search for “Florida giant grasshopper”, “Florida giant centipede”, and “Florida giant mosquito”, making me wonder why I moved to this state). And it’s exactly like it says on the tin…
Tag: green
Rugosana Querci
Another no-common-name, no description on Wikipedia, nothing beyond “It’s a leafhopper”. I understand the problems involved with trying to do field research on an animal 1/4″ long, but it just seems sad that just about all I can say about this striking little insect is “It’s a leafhopper”. Bugguide.net tells me it’s probably a second…
Slender Meadow Katydid Nymph
This is not an adult; it’s a mid-range instar (aka nymph, aka baby). You can tell because it has no wings — adults have long, reddish wings which extend past the end of their body. In a couple more molts/instars, the wings will emerge! This tiny little creature (about 5mm long) took a ride on…
Green Lacewing
I am 99% sure this green lacewing is Leucochrysa pavida, or possibly Nodita pavida depending on how much free time you have. The problem with green lacewings is that the differences between species often depend on one being able to take the insect apart, or at least get waaaaay up close like this for a…
Green Leafhopper
The common green leafhopper, Hortensia similis, hitching a ride on my yellow kayak. …and that’s about all I can find about this insect online. It’s about 5-10 mm long. It may eat citrus plants or rice seedlings. It’s a relative of the cicada, and it’s part of the subfamily Cicadellinae, or sharpshooters, which refers to…
Green Lacewing
There are 22 species of “green lacewing” in Florida, spread across a number of families, and the identification key reads like marketing material from the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation, reminding me of a quote from Carl Sagan: “Before you can identify a green lacewing, you must first invent the universe…or at least look up the definition…
Green Tree Python
This gorgeous snake is native to New Guinea, parts of Indonesia, and Australia. As its name suggests, the green tree python (Morelia viridis, also Chondropython viridis prior to 1993) is a bright green snake which lives in trees. It hunts small mammals and reptiles. Being tree-dwelling, they have a characteristic resting pose, wherein they drape…
Southern Emerald Moth
The delightful, (1/2″ wide) Synchlora frondaria is most notable for its larvae, tiny caterpillars which disguise themselves by “gluing” pieces of plants and flowers to themselves so they look like debris. (From this behavior comes the common name “camouflaged looper”, since the caterpillars are “looper” caterpillars which form loops with their body (like all inchworms)…
Broad-tipped Conehead Katydid
Slender, untapered antennae and nearly round eyes distinguish this broad-tipped conehead katydid (Neoconocephalus triops) from some very similar-looking toothpick grasshoppers. About three inches long, and apparently they make some pretty funky noises. This is very probably a male; the ovipositors on the females are very distinct. That top photo was taken with my little mirrorless…