It sounds like it would make a great horror movie – “Red Katydid Outbreak!”. Maybe “Attack of the 50 foot Red Katydid!” would be better.

You may have seen these guys in your yard. The Hill Country is currently experiencing a major red katydid (Paracyrtophyllus robustus) outbreak. They feed primarily on oak trees, but not exclusively. You may notice them eating your roses and other garden plants.

Katydids are normally green but the red form predominates during an outbreak. Little is known about the causes of outbreaks which is defined as populations much higher than average.

They’re very easy to spot when they’re on the house, like this one. They’re really quite beautiful. The tiny green eyes are very striking. This one is a adult female and you can see the ovipositor sticking out her back end.

Since these are the red variety, they’re also easy to spot in the oak trees. This one was caught by a sun beam and stood out even more. You can see the damage it’s done to the leaves. This one is an adult male.

They’re very wary. As I walked around the oak tree, they would scurry to the other side of a leaf to hide from me.

This one is a nymph or juvenile and has a very different body shape from the adults. It also lacks fully-formed wings.

Here are a couple of links with more information:

• Texas Entomology web page
• The Bug Guide