A tractor prepares land for planting. South Island

A nymph of the New Zealand katydid or bush cricket, Caedicia simplex. Caedicia simplex is a New Zealand native insect in the grasshopper family Tettigoniidae. Insects in the Genus: Caedicia are commonly called Katydids. Caedicia simplex is also found in Australia. It has a length 42 mm including wings. The lifespan of a katydid is about a year, with full adulthood usually developing very late in the lifecycle.It is common in New Zealand gardens where it is well camouflaged on shrubs and plants because of its colour and leaf patterns on its wings. It feeds on foliage. It can jump or fly.

A bumble bee on the flower of Pachystegia insignis growing at the Lincoln site of Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research. Photograph by Bradley White