Walkingsticks are found in most habitats. There are around 3,000 species; all are nocturnal and plant eating. There are a variety of sizes with the females typically being larger. Colors vary, too, as they use color to blend into their environments.
Diapheromeridae – Walkingsticks
Diapheromera femorata – NorthernWalkingstick
This is the common northeastern US family. Color variations are brown or green. Losing an appendage is one of their defenses. The younger walkingsticks can replace this appendage when they molt, but the adults don’t have that option.
Females lay their eggs on the woodland floor, which completes their maternal duties. The eggs overwinter in the leaf litter. Sometimes ants will take the eggs to their nests, keeping them safe. Of course, they don’t do this for “free!” This service is rewarded by some tasty edible outgrowths on the eggs. The eggs hatch in the spring and the nymphs become adults during the summer and fall.
