Northern Walkingstick – Mascot Candidate for 2027

Diapheromera femorata

Mimicry

Walking sticks, or stick insects, escape predation by blending into plant material. As their name suggests, they look just like sticks, and may even sway back and forth to more closely resemble a twig moving in the wind.

These 3-inch-long stick-mimics blend perfectly with twigs. They're slow-moving, harmless, and feed primarily on oak and hazelnut leaves.

There are three pairs of legs, but at rest, the front pair is extended forward beside the antennae, forming an extension of the twig-like effect.

Quick Facts

• Native to eastern North America
• Found in deciduous forest throughout North America, where it eats many types of plant foliage.
• Localised clusters of these insects sometimes occur; however, the insects have no wings, and dispersal from tree to tree is limited
• They are leaf skeletonisers, eating the tissues between the leaf veins, pausing for a while and then walking on to new leaves