Walking Stick Insect

Walking Stick Insect

By Shawn Olson

Posted on August 2nd, 2007

The Stick Insect (often called the Walking Stick) is a treat to find. I have personally only sited the large insect a few times in my life, which is ironic considering I have spent countless summer hours picking raspberries and blackberries—which are favorite foods of the Stick Insect. The photos and video on this page are of a stick insect Jenny found walking on a bench on a family porch in Pennsylvania. This specimen was still fairly small. I once found a much larger stick insect in Ohio, but I cannot find the photo of that one.

We also found several small stick insects during a trip to Missouri. Unfortunately, we found them in the night and lost track of them before we could get the cameras out.

Walking Sticks belong to the Order Phasmida and account for around 3,000 species of insects. Vegetarians, they are harmless to humans. I have not found any suggestion that stick insects are vectors for human diseases; in fact, the stick insect is often regarded as an excellent pet for children.

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Copyright © 2007-2010 by Shawn Olson.

Subscribe to this guestbookComments on Walking Stick Insect

Gary Way said:

If people wish to see walking stick insects, go to Honobia, Oklahoma. They are there by the thousands. My son and I were there on a hunting trip, every where we sat in the woods they were all around us on the trees and the grass. Untill this past weekend I never relized that male and female walking sticks looked any different. It was quite fascinanting.

mary calie said:

Thank you so much for the video.I spotted a walking stick on my deck yesterday but had no camera available to take a picture of it.When I called my 90 year old mom to tell her,she said she never heard of one.Now when I visit her next week I can show her some pictures.We are educating the elderly through the internet.Thank you again.

Joanne Hammes said:

Thanks for your help in teaching a five year old about walking sticks!

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