I love the tropics. Even though we live in the city now, there are still interesting creatures that visit our home and garden. The other night I was rummaging in the pantry for something or other and came across this beautiful monster. It is a "True Leaf Katydid" according to our bug book. It has cousins who's legs aren't quite so beautifully coloured that are just called "Leaf Katydid." I'm tickled to have met a "true" one.
I never came across bugs that were quite so substantial until I came to Africa. I am quite proud of myself for wrangling this one into the kids' "bug barn" so I could show it to Simon in the morning. I used a broom and a plastic tub that feta cheese came in. Kobus scoffed and suggested that grabbing it in my hand would have been quite easy: "It's just a big grasshopper." He grew up here... Anyway, Simon was less impressed than I had hoped but the poor bug didn't look nearly as impressive as it pressed itself into a corner of the cage. It was easily as long as my palm and quite fat.
The plan was to keep it overnight and then release it into the garden and take some pictures. I did just that. The movement of the bug's antennae as it slowly made his way out of the box onto the shrubbery showed it was obviously pleased to be released. The book says that they eat leaves and I don't know how long it occupied my pantry but there really wasn't anything in there that might keep it properly fed. Thankfully it didn't disappear so quickly and I could get a couple shots off. I left it there and had a look in the general area again a few hours later. Of course there was no trace of it passing but a happy memory of such a beautiful creature.
