Katydid & Her Eggs

just seeing this discussion now

Basically I agree with the folks below - these eggs are adapted to surviving the winter exposed to the elements, so I think they will be fine there so long as a bird or other predator doesn't pick them off.

Dunno if I made it clear before, but the eggs are a different genus and species than the adult pictured - their presence together is incidental. Eggs are of a Microcentrum species (either retinerve or rhombifolium), and the adult is Scudderia furcata. I moved the image of the female to the species page.

… metrioptera, 22 July, 2020 - 5:11pm

Moved

The eggs are of a Microcentrum sp, which lay exposed eggs on twigs or wood. The adult katydid in the bottom right is a Scudderia sp, which lay eggs within leaves

Moved from ID Request.

… metrioptera, 22 July, 2020 - 11:33am

Will they survive?

Aluminum siding I imagine will get colder than a twig, no?
I appreciate the input! All great information.

… Sean S, 22 July, 2020 - 11:39am

Oops!

I added comments in the forum thread before seeing this. I was hoping metrioptera would weigh in! :)
I thought they looked Microcentrum, and I guess since they're exposed in nature, you can just leave them where they are ?

… dvoribird, 22 July, 2020 - 11:47am

Added another photo

Have a look. Any/all information & advice is appreciated.

… Sean S, 22 July, 2020 - 12:03pm

No intervention?

So I don’t need to build a little egg house? I’m so bored, I’d build the sweetest egg winter cabin you’ve ever seen. Also, how long if at all does the mother stick around? I saw her the following morning but haven’t seen her since.

… Sean S, 22 July, 2020 - 11:53am

I'm fairly certain no intervention is needed

I've seen surviving Microcentrum eggs on some pretty cold twigs. Females probably leave quite rapidly after laying.

… C, 22 July, 2020 - 12:08pm

Maybe

Maybe, but I've seen insect eggs of all kind being eaten en masse. Mostly spiders and ants snacking on lepidopteran eggs, but other taxa as well. In fact there was an interesting paper investigating this very issue as it relates to monarch butterflies published last year. So you might want to hedge your bet and grab a few before they end up on the menu.

… George Smiley, 22 July, 2020 - 2:54pm

exposed eggs

Yes, I was also thinking that with eggs that are naturally exposed, you'd want to leave them alone and watch them.
Metrioptera, Eleodes: will these overwinter and hatch in spring?
Sean, I hope you build your egg cabin anyway, because once a few eggs find out who you are, they tell all their friends, and other eggs start appearing. You will likely be finding more eggs who need a sweet winter egg cabin just like the one you have in mind. :)

… dvoribird, 22 July, 2020 - 12:35pm

Yeah Microcentrum eggs go dormant in the cold

If the egg cabin is too warm it may interfere with natural dormancy processes.

… C, 22 July, 2020 - 1:52pm

I will make an egg tent

I will give them something towards the end of November until beginning of March. I’ll skip the built in fireplace. I really appreciate all the insight here

… Sean S, 22 July, 2020 - 3:51pm

egg tent

There will surely be somebody's eggs who could really use that tent. I hope you'll keep us updated and show us the tent that you create.
You will likely find more katydids in your yard. I like to look for them at night. Let us know what you find/build/create/learn, please!

Eleodes: completely unrelated, but do you know if Deloyala are univoltine? I'm raising some Deloyala guttata: I brought home some adults who produced lots of babies, and the babies grew up just fine but didn't make more. I have several adults now (I released most of them because I've got plenty of their morning glory vine in my garden), but they didn't reproduce, and when I look for them in the wild now, I'm no longer seeing them. I wonder what their life cycle would be here in Texas.

… dvoribird, 22 July, 2020 - 6:29pm

yes

See my comment below on Deloyala, I clicked the wrong button so commenting again so you get the notification.

… C, 22 July, 2020 - 9:58pm

Deloyala is multivoltine

This paper says so: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2408708?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3A0a06bb19570909bbca4fe0a9e8e2cf79&seq=3#page_scan_tab_contents

(if you aren't affiliated w a research institution just log in w any gmail account to read the whole thing for free)

… C, 22 July, 2020 - 9:55pm