Subject: Taking a Walk
Geographic location of the bug: Vernon, NJ
Date: 07/01/2019
Time: 05:32 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: A very exciting day as this is my first sighting of a Walkingstick! I am thinking it may be a Slender-bodied walkingstick (M. blatchleyi), rather than the more commonly seen Northern Walkingstick? The size was approximately 2 inches and it was found on some brushy vegetation in a clearing off the Appalachian Trail. It appeared to have some minor injury to one of the forelegs.
Thanks in advance!
How you want your letter signed: Deborah E Bifulco
Hi Deborah,
Immature Walkingsticks, like many insects, can be much more challenging to identify than adult Walkingsticks. According to BugGuide, of Manomera blatchleyi: “Long slender head (noticeably longer than wide) and lack of spines under the hind femora will separate this species from Diapheromera spp.” That description seems to match the head on your individual. As always, your images are wondrous.
