northern walkingstick

(Diapheromera femorata)

Conservation Status
IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

NR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

 
northern walkingstick
Photo by Patti Keiper
 
Description

Northern walkingstick is common in the eastern half of the United states and adjacent Canadian provinces. It is the only stick insect found in Canada. It is the most common walkingstick in North America and in Minnesota.

The body is extremely long, thin, and almost cylindrical. The male is about 3 long, the female about 3¾ long. The body strongly resembles a leafless twig and provides effective camouflage from predators. The male is brown, the female greenish-brown. The sensory appendages at the tip of the abdomen (cerci) are short and have only one segment. They resemble the sensory organs (palpi) that are part of a spider’s mouthparts. The cerci on the female are short and straight. Those on the male are longer and curved, and serve as claspers. Nymphs are green but otherwise look like miniature adults.

The legs are long and slender. The group of end segments that together correspond to feet (tarsi) have 5 segments. On the male, the large third segment (femur) of the middle leg is dilated and tends to be banded.

There are no wings.

The head is small. The antennae are long, slender, and thread-like. They are as long as the body.

 

Size

Male: 3

Female: 3¾

 

Similar Species

Prairie walkingstick (Diapheromera velii) males usually have a pale stripe on each side. The femur is never banded or dilated. The cerci on the female are much longer. It is found in weedy, open areas.

Habitat

Deciduous forests and woodlands

Biology

Season

May through September

 

Behavior

They feed at night. During the day they remain motionless, clinging to a twig or branch, and often swaying with the wind.

When at rest, the front legs are extended forward like the antennae.

When threatened, they will drop to the ground or remain motionless, often for a long period.

 

Life Cycle

In Minnesota, the northern walkingstick population fluctuates on a two-year cycle. The odd numbered years are the “boom” years, the even numbered years the “bust” years. Mating takes place during the day from late August to mid-September. The female drops eggs to the ground one at a time. During heavy infestations, female egg-dropping can sound like falling rain. The eggs overwinter in the leaf litter. In the south, they hatch the following spring. In Minnesota, they remain on the ground until the second following spring. After almost two years, they hatch between mid-June late July. During the night, the nymph crawls up the first vertical object it encounters. If that is a stem of a shrub or tree, it begins feeding. Otherwise, it returns to the ground and seeks another vertical object.

 

Nymph Food

Leaves of low-growing plants, including hazel, rose, serviceberry, blueberry, and strawberry.

 

Adult Food

Leaves of hardwood trees, especially black oak, red oak, beaked hazel, American basswood, American elm, black locust, and black cherry. Avoids maple and boxelder.

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

7, 24, 27, 29, 30, 82, 83.

9/12/2024    
     

Occurrence

Common and widespread in eastern North America

Taxonomy

Order

Phasmida/Phasmatodea (stick insects)

Suborder

Verophasmatodea

Infraorder

Anareolatae

Family

Diapheromeridae (common walking stick insects)

Subfamily

Diapheromerinae

Tribe

Diapheromerini

Genus

Diapheromera

Subgenus

Diapheromera

   

Subordinate Taxa

 

   

Synonyms

Bacunculus laevissimus

Diapheromera femoratum

Diapheromera sayi

Spectrum betulla

Spectrum femoratum

   

Common Names

common American walkingstick

common walkingstick

northern walkingstick

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Cercus

One of a pair of small sensory appendages at the end of the abdomen of many insects and other arthropods. In Odonata, one of the upper claspers. Plural: cerci.

 

Femur

On insects and arachnids, the third, largest, most robust segment of the leg, coming immediately before the tibia. On humans, the thigh bone.

 

Palp

Short for pedipalp. A segmented, finger-like process of an arthropod; one is attached to each maxilla and two are attached to the labium. They function as sense organs in spiders and insects, and as weapons in scorpions.

 

Tarsus

The last two to five sections of an insect’s leg, attached to the tibia; the foot.

 

 

 

 

 

Visitor Photos
 

Share your photo of this insect.

 

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Tiffany Vogt

northern walkingstick

Found right next to my front door! I’ve lived in MN my entire life and this is the first time I’ve ever seen one of these!

Patti Keiper

northern walkingstick

Sighted on 9-10-24 in Minnetonka Minnesota on the District Court House window near some woods. It was beautiful.

Chad W. Dilks

northern walkingstick

observed on wild grape vine in woodland bluff

Connie Walfa

northern walkingstick

found on the side of garage.

St Croix

northern walkingstick

Mike Poeppe

northern walkingstick   northern walkingstick

Mark Schumacher

northern walkingstick   northern walkingstick

Mark Schumacher, my son Maverick is a bug hunting expert he has another photo of a walking stick we posted 3 years ago when he was 5. This is his current find, these insects are so cool and bring him so much joy! Good job Maverick Schumacher

 

My 5 year old found this “stick bug” really cool. Good job Maverick.

Molly and Robert Power

northern walkingstick

Our entire family loved seeing this insect so much that it was brought to the 2nd grade classroom at Avon Elementary for show and tell! We released it back into the wild a few days later.

Chad & Autumn Brekke

northern walkingstick

Check out what we found in our garage tonight. This walking stick was amazing!

Lindsay Freeland

northern walkingstick   northern walkingstick
Spotted crossing a sidewalk in town  

 

Trisha Parks

northern walkingstick

L Fuller

northern walkingstick   northern walkingstick

Walking stick on a milkweed

   
     
northern walkingstick    

B. Leppink

northern walkingstick

S Shroyer

northern walkingstick

Luciearl

northern walkingstick   northern walkingstick
     
northern walkingstick   northern walkingstick
     
northern walkingstick    

Adrian Thompson

northern walkingstick

Scott & Nan Knowlton

northern walkingstick

Found on the hood of our pickup

Cyndy Showalter

northern walkingstick

I thought it was pine needles stuck on the screen of my cabin, but it moved when I tried to pick it off. I have never seen anything like this before in MN, very neat!

Ashley Merkle

northern walkingstick   northern walkingstick
so cool  

 

Bart Lutton

northern walkingstick

Kris Larson

northern walkingstick   northern walkingstick

P. Contons

northern walkingstick

Northern walking Stick, Female

was crawling up my leg....

M.J. Horgan

northern walkingstick

I just found this walking stick (Diapheromera femorata) on the side of the house in Ham Lake, Mn. Wow! : ) — in Andover, Minnesota.

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Visitor Videos
 

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S Shroyer

northern walkingstick 01
Published on Sep 17, 2019

About

northern walkingstick (Diapheromera femorata)
Stillwater Township, MN 55082
9/13/2019

Other Videos

Walkingstick at Mount Wachusett - September 7, 2014
Don Gagnon

About

Published on Sep 8, 2014

Northern Walkingstick (Diapheromera femorata), Mount Wachusett Summit, Princeton, Massachusetts, Sunday morning, September 7, 2014, 11:54 AM - Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 00039 / 00040 / 00041 / 00042; 59 sec.

Northern Walkingstick (Diapheromera fermorata)
Heidi Poodle

About

Published on Aug 30, 2010

One of two I found in the backyard re-stacking a woodpile. Weird bug.

SciWorks Walking Stick
Kaleideum

About

Published on Aug 1, 2013

Northern Walkingsticks grow over 3 1/2 inches long, with males being smaller than females. Walkingsticks have long, skinny bodies which closely resembles twigs or stems of plants. Males are brown, females are greenish-brown. These insects have very long antennae, about 2/3 the length of their bodies.

Scientific Name: Diapheromera femorata

Walkingstick Insect/ "Stick Bug"
Krista SingsWithTrees

About

Published on Sep 14, 2016

Twiggy the Walkingstick (Diapheromera femorata, often called a "stick bug") shows how much she's grown on a delicious diet of oak leaves! Song "Word of Mouth" by Ash Dargan.

 

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Visitor Sightings
 

Report a sighting of this insect.

 

This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.

Patti Keiper
9/10/2024

Location: Detroit Lakes, MN (within city limits)

Found right next to my front door! I’ve lived in MN my entire life and this is the first time I’ve ever seen one of these!

northern walkingstick

Patti Keiper
9/10/2024

Location: Minnetonka Minnesota

Sighted on 9-10-24 in Minnetonka Minnesota on the District Court House window near some woods.

It was beautiful.

northern walkingstick
Chad W. Dilks
8/20/2023

Location: Stockton Hill near Winona, Mn

observed on wild grape vine in woodland bluff

northern walkingstick
Denise Hukriede
9/27/2022

Location: Lakeside Township, Isle, MN 56342

For the 2 days I've watched it, it mostly stayed on my sliding door or on house siding. Like description stated, still during day and moves around at night. Fun to see where it is in mornings.

Connie Walfa
9/22/2022

Location: Sturgeon Lake, Mn

found on the side of garage.

northern walkingstick
St Croix
9/9/2022

Location: Stillwater MN

northern walkingstick
Mike Poeppe
8/27/2022

Location: near Houston, MN

northern walkingstick
Mark Schumacher
7/22/2021

Location: Location: Zimmerman, MN

Mark Schumacher, my son Maverick is a bug hunting expert he has another photo of a walking stick we posted 3 years ago when he was 5. This is his current find, these insects are so cool and bring him so much joy! Good job Maverick Schumacher

northern walkingstick

Chad & Autumn Brekke
9/27/2020

Location: Kilkenny, Minnesota

Check out what we found in our garage tonight. This walking stick was amazing!

northern walkingstick

Molly and Robert Power
9/22/2020

Location: Albany MN

Our entire family loved seeing this insect so much that it was brought to the 2nd grade classroom at Avon Elementary for show and tell! We released it back into the wild a few days later.

northern walkingstick

Lindsay Freeland
8/27/2020

Location: New London, MN

Spotted crossing a sidewalk in town

northern walkingstick

L Fuller
8/9/2020

Location: Eagan, MN

Walking stick on a milkweed

northern walkingstick

B. Leppink
9/6/2019

Location: Hubbard County

northern walkingstick

Luciearl
Summer 2019

Location: Cass County

northern walkingstick

S Shroyer
9/13/2019

Location: Lake Shore, Cass County

northern walkingstick

Derek Helfenstein
8/24/2019

Location: North Branch, MN

 

Luciearl
8/25/2019

Location: Lake Shore, Cass County

northern walkingstick

Luciearl
8/20/2019

Location: Lake Shore, MN, Cass County

northern walkingstick

Adrian
Thompson

8/20/2019

Location: Miltona MN

northern walkingstick

Jason R.
8/18/2019

Location: Randall

 

Terry
8/14/2019

Location: 6997 90th Ave., Princeton, MN

 

Scott & Nan Knowlton
9/8/2018

Location: Cut Foot Sioux Lake

Found on the hood of our pickup

northern walkingstick

Cyndy Showalter
9/6/2018

Location: Ada lake, Pine River

I thought it was pine needles stuck on the screen of my cabin, but it moved when I tried to pick it off. I have never seen anything like this before in MN, very neat!

northern walkingstick

Mark Schumacher
9/1/2018

Location: Location: Zimmerman, MN

my 5 year old found this “stick bug” really cool. Good job maverick

northern walkingstick

Steven Casperson
8/20/2018

Location: Lakeshore, MN, near Brainerd

Ashley Merkle
8/18/2018

Location: Elk River, MN

so cool

northern walkingstick

Bart Lutton
8/16/2018

Location: Burnsville, MN

northern walkingstick

Kris Larson
8/11/2018

Location: 17085 262nd Ave NW Big Lake, Sherburne County, MN

northern walkingstick

P. Contons
8/6/2018

Location: qdoba patio Plymouth, Mn

was crawling up my leg....

northern walkingstick

M.j. Horgan
9/13/2017

Location: Andover, MN

I just found this walking stick (Diapheromera femorata) on the side of the house in Ham Lake, Mn. Wow! : ) — in Andover, Minnesota.

northern walkingstick

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