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Walking Sticks

© Carla Goodloe

These creatures exist east of the Rockies, north to Canada and south into Arizona and California.

Walking sticks look like sticks, dead leaves, and twigs. They don't move for extended periods of time. They are very unusual and hard to find. I've only seen one in my 29 years. It was on a branch in my yard. Trust me, in a yard this big we were very lucky we found it. (We had over 900 acres of land on our Mississippi farm.)

They are brown, yellowish brown, or greenish in color. North American species are 3-4 inches long, but their tropical cousins can be over a foot in length. WOW! Females are usually larger than males. Their bodies are long, slender and cylindrical. Sometimes their antennae are as long as their bodies. In summer, females lay tiny black eggs that drop to the ground and overwinter in leaf debris, the eggs hatch in spring, then nymphs emerge and develop into adults.

They have not found a flying species in North America. Walkings sticks move very slowly when they do move. They spend most of their time in trees or shrubs. They will eat leaves on plants, but are usually so small in number that the damage isn't noticeable. One Florida species can spit a milky substance about 2 feet. This is a very irritating substance if it gets on you. If you find a walking stick on your plants and want to remove it, let it walk onto you instead of you grabbing it. It will be less likely to spray you. Some other species emit a foul odor when handled, so let them walk on you or another stick instead of picking it up. They don't notice they've been disturbed that way.

Walkings sticks prefer the leaves of hardwood trees, blackberry vines, and raspberry vines. The Arizona species (pale yellowish brown) prefer spiny shrubs such as mesquite and acacia. Species in the Gulf States tend to graze on various plants and trees, but can be found on roses and other flowers and sometimes even on vegetable plants.

Walkings sticks are harmless and should be left to their desires unless you see enough damage to your plants to warrant moving them. They aren't beneficial, but they won't kill your crops either. Enjoy the "mystical" walking stick. It's hard to find, but well worth it if you do. We put ours back out in the woods where he came from.