PestControlBasics
Menu

Identify

Treat

Local

About

Common True Katydid

Pterophylla camellifolia[3]

The common true katydid is a large leaf-green insect that lives high in trees and fills summer nights with its rasping 'Katy did, Katy didn't' call; it is harmless and rarely seen.[1][2]

Group
Insect
Order
Orthoptera
Family
Tettigoniidae
US records
34 states
Sources
3 cited
Updated
2026-10-16
Leaf-green common true katydid with cupped leaf-like wings
Leaf-green common true katydid with cupped leaf-like wings. Photo: Kirill Levchenko, public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • Its leaf-like wings form a humped cup over the body with prominent veins, and it has long antennae; females have a flat, blade-like egg-laying tube.[1][2]
  • Males sing with a file-and-scraper organ in a brown triangular area at the base of the wings.[1]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
CicadasCicadas sing mostly by day; katydids sing at night.[1]

Where it lives

Common in trees across the eastern United States, including Mississippi and Missouri.[1][2]

US map: public records from 34 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Males in one tree often synchronize, while nearby groups sing on a different beat, creating the 'debate'.[1]

Despite their large wings they can't fly and rely on camouflage to stay hidden in the treetops.[1]

Damage and signs

  • It feeds on tree leaves without noticeable damage and is not a pest.[1][2]

Health risk

None to people or pets.[1][2]

Control

Prevention

No control is needed.[1][2]

Common questions

What is making the loud 'katy-did' sound at night?
Male common true katydids singing high in the trees.[1][2]
Is it a cicada?
No; cicadas usually sing by day, katydids at night.[1]
Can it fly?
No; it stays in the trees and relies on camouflage.[1]

Sources

  1. Mississippi State University Extension (Bug's Eye View), “Common True Katydid, Vol. 6, No. 19.” extension.msstate.edu/newsletters/bugs-eye-view/2020/common-true-katydid-vol-6-no-19 (accessed 2026-10-15)
  2. Missouri Department of Conservation, “Common True Katydid (Field Guide).” mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/common-true-katydid (accessed 2026-10-15)
  3. iNaturalist, “Pterophylla camellifolia taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/118951 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-16. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.