Diapheromera femorata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The common walkingstick or northern walkingstick (Diapheromera femorata) is a species of phasmid or stick insect found across North America. The average length of this species is 75 millimetres (3.0 inches) for males and 95 mm (3.7 in) for females.
The insect is found in deciduous forest throughout North America, where it eats many types of plant foliage. Even though the common walkingstick is a generalist it does tend to prefer foliage from oak and hazelnut trees. Localised clusters of these insects sometimes occur; however, the insects have no wings, and dispersal from tree to tree is limited.
The common walkingstick is a slender, elongated insect that camouflages itself by resembling a twig. The sexes differ, with the male usually being brown and about 75 mm (3 in) in length while the female is greenish-brown, and rather larger at 95 mm (3.7 in). 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. Neither sex has wings, the antennae are two-thirds of the length of the body, and each of the cerci (paired appendages at the tip of the abdomen) has a single segment.
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
No species of the same family or order lives in Chicago, so these are its closest relatives here: other insects.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Walkingstick sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 390th most-seen of the 978 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Walkingstick in Chicago on a given day, against under 5% in December to October, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Walkingstick sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 8
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Northern Walkingstick sightings, Chicago ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Detroit (United States, about 10%), Toronto (Canada, under 5%) and Washington (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Walkingstick is recorded against all the insects logged in Chicago (24 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
