Northern walkingstick

This North American walkingstick, known for its outstretched legs, can appear either green or brown. It is the only walkingstick species found in Québec.

The northern walkingstick, previously known as the common stick insect, was renamed following a naming contest organized by the Insectarium Nomenclature Committee.

Wingless, the Northern walkingstick feeds on a variety of plants, though it shows a marked preference for oak leaves.

Physical characteristics

The female is larger than the male.

In this species, both sexes have spines on their legs. They also possess cerci, the pair of appendages at the tip of the abdomen that males use during mating.

Reproduction

Once mating has occurred, the female drops her eggs to the ground. Hidden among the leaf litter, they spend the winter sheltered from the cold. In spring, the young walkingsticks feed on the leaves of shrubs.

In regions where the population is abundant, so many females lay eggs at the same time that the falling eggs create a sound reminiscent of raindrops.

Juvenile Northern walkingstick at the Insectarium: