True Northern Katydid We were up at my daughter's house—same town, but about 10 miles away from us—for a birthday party, and after we had eaten, we went outside to enjoy the late afternoon. Someone else had the same idea and landed on the siding. It was one of those "I can't believe my eyes" moments, for here, in front of me, was one of the most common singing insects and one of the most elusive singers: a common true katydid. Pterophylla camellifolia is everywhere these days... and nights, when its evening choruses of katy-did, repeated over and over by large groups of these leaf-lookalikes, dominate the airwaves. But you almost never actually see the callers, since they spend their lives in the relative safety of the tree canopies. The last time I ever spotted one was more than 10 years ago, so this sighting was a real treat—a female who didn't seem to mind posing, although she did bite me once.