Aloha Everyone,
During my morning walk, a neighbor alerted me to a “strange twig-like insect” at the side of his garage.
Stick insects, also known as walking sticks, is an interesting group of insects that camouflage themselves to resemble their immediate surroundings.
The one I saw looks like stick when it is attached to a branch or trunk of a tree. There are over 3,000 species of stick insects. They can attain the size of 1 to 12 inches long. These insects are the biggest insects in the world.
Another interesting facts is that stick insect can reproduce by their females producing unfertilized eggs that are then mature into other females.
During one of our travels through the rain forests of the Philippines, J.J. and I have encountered even more rare types of walking sticks that blends itself to leaves or a fallen log. Although stick insects are considered unwelcome pests in gardens and forests in many of the states, some enthusiasts pay up to $50 for a supply of 50. I have no idea what one would do with 50 of these stick insects except to appreciate their unique characteristics that may add to their enjoyment of gardening.
Aloha -- Cathi
