What Do Katydids Eat

If you’ve ever heard a rhythmic chorus from the trees on a summer night, you’ve likely heard katydids. These musical insects are common in many gardens, and if you’re a gardener, you might wonder what do katydids eat. Understanding their diet helps you see if they’re helpful visitors or potential pests for your plants.

Katydids are primarily leaf-eaters, but their menu is more varied than you might think. Let’s look at their feeding habits, how they impact your garden, and what it means for you.

At their core, katydids are herbivores, meaning they eat plant matter. Their strong mandibles are perfect for chewing through tough vegetation. The vast majority of their diet consists of leaves from trees, shrubs, and other plants.

They are not particularly picky. A katydid will often munch on the leaves of the plant it currently lives on. This can include oak, eucalyptus, and fruit tree leaves. They eat the edges of leaves, creating distinctive notches that can help you identify their presence.

Beyond Just Leaves: A Varied Vegetarian Diet

While leaves are the main course, katydids consume other parts of plants too. Their eating habbits expand depending on the species and food availability.

Flowers and Buds: Tender flower petals and developing buds are a soft and nutritious target. This can sometimes affect a plant’s ability to fruit.
Stems and Bark: Some larger species will chew on soft stems or even the bark of young twigs.
Seeds and Fruits: Ripe fruit and seeds are occasional treats, especially if they are already damaged or overripe.
Plant Sap: A few katydid species have been known to drink sap from wounds in plants.

The Occasional Omnivore

Interestingly, not all katydids stick to plants. In rare situations, usually when plant food is scarce or for extra protein, some species will turn to being omnivorous.

They might eat:

Small, dead insects.
Insect eggs found on leaves.
Even other weak or injured katydids.

This is not their prefered diet, but it shows they are adaptable survivors in your garden ecosystem.

What Baby Katydids (Nymphs) Eat

Young katydids, called nymphs, have similar diets to adults but with a key difference. They need tender, easy-to-eat plant material because their jaws are smaller and weaker.

Nymphs often start by eating:

Soft new growth on plants.
Young shoots and seedlings.
Pollen from flowers.

As they grow and molt, they gradually move on to tougher leaves. This is why you might notice damage on specific new plants early in the season.

Katydids in Your Garden: Friend or Foe?

For most gardeners, katydids are neutral insects. A few katydids in a large, healthy garden cause minimal noticeable damage. The leaf notching is often cosmetic.

However, in certain cases, they can become pests:

During Population Booms: In years with many katydids, their collective feeding can defoliate small trees or prized ornamentals.
On Seedlings: Their appetite for tender growth makes young vegetable starts or flower seedlings vulnerable.
In Fruit Orchards: Some species feed on fruit surfaces, leading to scarring or creating entry points for disease.

They also play a role as prey. Birds, bats, frogs, and spiders all eat katydids, so they are part of the natural food web that keeps your garden balanced.

Identifying Katydid Damage

It’s helpful to distinguish their damage from other insects. Look for these signs:

Irregular, ragged notches eaten along the edges of leaves.
Damage is often higher up in trees and shrubs.
You might find their dark, pellet-like droppings on leaves underneath.
The damage appears mostly at night, when they are most active.

Managing Katydids Naturally

If you feel katydids are causing to much harm, avoid broad-spectrum pesticides. These kill their natural predators and can make problems worse later. Try these gentler methods first.

Hand-Picking: At night with a flashlight, you can pick them off plants and relocate them. Wear gloves, as some can give a mild nip.
Protect Seedlings: Use floating row covers over young plants to create a physical barrier.
Encourage Predators: Put up birdhouses and bat boxes. A diverse garden attracts animals that will help control katydid numbers naturally.
Neem Oil: As a last resort, spraying neem oil can deter feeding. It must be reapplied after rain and only affects insects that directly eat the treated leaves.

Remember, a perfect, untouched leaf is not the goal of a healthy garden. A few chewed leaves are a sign of a living, breathing ecosystem.

Fascinating Feeding Adaptations

Katydids have evolved some amazing features related to eating. Their camouflage, for instance, is primarily for hiding from predators, but it also lets them feed undisturbed.

Their hearing organs, located on their front legs, help them listen for predators while they are busy eating. Also, their ovipositor, the tube females use to lay eggs, is often shaped to cut into plant stems where they deposit eggs, ensuring the nymphs have food when they hatch.

The Nightly Feast

Katydids are mostly nocturnal feeders. This is why you rarely see them eating during the day. They spend the daylight hours motionless, disguised as a leaf. As dusk falls, they become active, moving to feeding sites and starting their nightly meal.

This behavior protects them from many daytime birds and lizards. It’s also why you hear their famous “katy-did, katy-didn’t” calls at night—they are communicating while they eat and look for mates.

What to Plant (or Not Plant)

Katydids are generalists, so no plant is completely safe. However, they do have preferences. If you have a major issue, you might avoid planting their favorite snacks in large quantities.

Plants they are often drawn to include:
– Hibiscus
– Citrus trees
– Oak trees
– Rose bushes
– Fruit trees like peach and apricot

Plants they tend to ignore are usually those with thick, waxy, hairy, or highly aromatic leaves, such as:
– Lavender
– Rosemary
– Many succulents
– Ornamental grasses

Diversity is your best defense. A mixed garden is less likely to suffer severe damage than a single-species planting.

FAQs About Katydid Diets

Do katydids eat vegetables?
Yes, they can. They may eat the leaves of tomato, bean, and cucumber plants, especially if other food is scarce. Seedlings are most at risk.

What do katydids drink?
Katydids get most of their moisture from the leaves they eat. They will also drink water droplets from rain or dew on plant surfaces.

Do katydids eat grass?
It’s not their first choice, but some species will eat grass blades, particularly in meadow environments.

Can katydids damage my trees?
Healthy, mature trees can handle katydid feeding. Severe defoliation from a huge population can stress a tree, but this is uncommon. Young saplings are more vulnerable.

What do pet katydids eat?
Pet katydids need a fresh daily supply of leaves from non-toxic plants like bramble, oak, or rose. You can also offer slices of fruit like apple or orange for variety and moisture.

Understanding what katydids eat gives you a clearer picture of their role in your garden. They are not mindless pests but integral parts of the summer soundscape and food chain. By observing their habits and managing your garden with balance in mind, you can coexist with these interesting leaf-munching insects. A few notched leaves is a small price to pay for the chorus of sounds that defines a summer evening.