Conehead The singing insects—these days, primarily katydids and crickets—are putting on a genuine concert, and I've been out looking for the singers, to record as well as to photograph. I've also been bringing them inside, where, in the Chinese and Japanese tradition, I've put them in individual cages, fed them on wildflowers, apple slices, lettuce, and blueberries, and enjoyed their music for a time, before I return them to the wild. I kept this conehead, a member of the katydid genus Neoconocephalus, for about a week, but despite several attempts to identify it to species, I couldn't be sure I had it right. Females are harder to ID than males, so I suppose that gets me off the hook. If I had to guess, I'd call it an Eastern Swordbearer, the sword referring to the conehead's impressive ovipositor. Alas, the females don't sing very much, but they're quite pleasant—and quiet—to have around.