Late summer is the season of Orthopterans (crickets, grasshoppers, katydids and locusts). Named for their straight, hardened forewings, these insects are best known for their jumping ability and for the scratchy "song" that the males deliver; the latter is produced by rubbing their legs or wings together and is used to attract females. Grasshoppers and locusts are diurnal fiddlers while crickets and katydids do most of their courting on cool, late summer nights; the song of the katydid is often heralded as the first sign of autumn.
Orthopterans are among the 15% of insects that undergo partial metamorphosis. The eggs hatch into nymphs, which are small, wingless versions of the adult; several molts (over weeks to months) lead to the adult form, bypassing the pupal stage. The eggs are deposited on vegetation or directly on the ground; in the Temperate Zone, most Orthopterans overwinter in the egg stage and, those not eaten by birds, mice or shrews, hatch in the spring. Primarily herbivorous, these insects (especially the grasshoppers and locusts) can cause significant damage in agricultural areas. Their natural predators include kestrels, screech and burrowing owls, crows, jays, magpies, gulls, frogs, toads, snakes and a variety of small mammals; many human cultures also consume these long-legged insects.
Having evolved back in the Carboniferous Period, some 300 million years ago, there are now over 20,000 species of Orthopterans across the globe; most of these live in the Tropics and about 1200 species inhabit North America.
