Sometimes, nature comes to you when you’re least expecting it. This is the story of my chance, up-close encounter with a Tinkling Ground Cricket, a charming denizen of the woodlands of the eastern United States.
Discovering singing insects
Last year, I decided to learn more about the singing insects of my area—the crickets, katydids, and cicadas. There are several good resources (see the end of this post) guiding me in this enjoyable journey.
Common true katydid, a singing insect
To get warmed up for this year’s singing insect season, I read Cricket Radio by John Himmelman several weeks ago. It’s an entertaining and educational book that combines natural history and personal observations on crickets and katydids. I highly recommend it.
Eye on Nature 