question about an insect

[BH]

I live in Texas about 50 miles south of Dallas.

I went outside and saw this big insect on the top of my windowsill but do not know what it is called. Maybe you can help me find out.

It was pretty big for an insect. About the size of a cicada or maybe bigger by a little. It's body looked like that of a big fat grasshopper though but with much skinnier hind legs, and its green color was a light shade of green, kinda like a katydid.

I walked to within a couple of feet from it. I know it saw me because it moved a few steps when I approached. It didn't look scared or seemed to be something I should be afraid of either.

Any ideas?

 

[dystopian]

Without having a photo of it, it sounds like maybe some kind of walking stick; of which there are a great many distinct looking ones. Something like this maybe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phasmatodea#mediaviewer/File:Le_Caylar_fg01.JPG

 

[BH]

It was big and thick, not skinny. It's girth was like that of a cicada but the wings and shade of green was like a katydid or grashopper. It's head was more grasshopperish.

 

[dystopian]

It was big and thick, not skinny. It's girth was like that of a cicada but the wings and shade of green was like a katydid or grashopper. It's head was more grasshopperish.

Dragonfly?

 

[EricK]

fork-tailed bush katydid?

 

[steve_bnk]

That is your peyote spirit guide.

 

[OLDMAN]

I hope you killed it, because in the insect world....they are waiting for the Messiah too.

 

[Bronzeage]

Possibly a variety of locust.

 

[Underseer]

You couldn't whip out your phone and take a picture? Yeesh.

 

[Emily Lake]

I'm sure you probably know this... but for many years I didn't, so I'll go out on a limb just in case. Newly hatched cicadas are green. So if it looked like a cicada, only green, it very well might have been a cicada, only green .



I watched one hatch one evening many years ago. I was pretty well flabbergasted when it came out all shiny and beautiful and not even a little bit brown. It turned darkened up after about an hour.

 

[Malintent]

I was going to guess Locust, but someone beat me to it. Reasoning is that Locusts have a very long migratory cycle...I think 4 or 7 years... so they come in rare bursts.

 

[BH]

I think I found it:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katydid#mediaviewer/File:Katydid_india.jpg


It was a huge katydid and not small I normally find around here.


Thanks everyone.