Lesser Pine Katydid
Orchelimum minor
Their song is so high-pitched and quiet that it often escapes human hearing entirely, sounding like a faint, insectoid whisper.
- Scientific name
- Orchelimum minor
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Orthoptera › Tettigoniidae › Orchelimum
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Pine forests and mixed pine-hardwood woodlands, specifically favoring loblolly, pitch, and Virginia pines.
- Diet
- Pine pollen, young pine needles, flowers, and occasionally small soft-bodied insects.
- Range
- Eastern United States, Southeastern United States
- Size
- 15 to 22 mm
- Lifespan
- 1 year
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss through deforestation, urbanization, and the widespread use of broad-spectrum forestry pesticides.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. These small insects live high in pine canopies and are difficult to spot. If you manage to find one, it is safe to observe closely. They do not bite or sting humans, though they may jump away if startled.
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Photo: Stephanie E., CC0, via iNaturalist
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