A Stick's Tale


Okay, so now many of you will conclude that I'm somewhat daffy, but so be it. Nevertheless, I decided to tell you about Wally.

I found Wally clinging to the bark of one of the oaks shading the deck, about ten days ago. Since the weather had turned cooler from the balmy Indian summer temperatures we've been experiencing, I figured Wally was looking for a warmer place. I mean, insects don't do well in the cold, and, yes, Wally was an insect-a stick insect, or walking stick.

Besides the colder weather, with downright chilly nights, the leaves on the oak tree Wally had inhabited were dry and dead. Since I knew walking sticks ate the leaves, I figured she was hungry as well as cold, and since I also knew that walking sticks only live a year, her time was running out! (From her size, I took a guess that Wally was a female, although, of course, that wasn't a sure thing.)

So I decided to make Wally's last days on earth more pleasant. And secretly, I hoped that by some chance, she might live longer if she had a warm place, and sustenance in the form of fresh lettuce and kale leaves. I had read somewhere that although a walking sticks preferred food is oak, sassafras, blackberry, and wild cherry leaves, it will also eat fresh lettuce and kale, if available. Of course, I hoped that's what Wally would do, as I gingerly eased her on a sheet of paper, and transported her into the house.

Wally was very cooperative as I carried her into the sun room, where the jungle of indoor plants reside, keeping me happy during the drab, leafless months of late fall and winter. I hoped these same plants would keep Wally happy as well, as I coaxed her on the stem of my tree sized hibiscus plant. Soon, she was making her way up that hibiscus plant, where she finally hung on and stayed motionless for the rest of the day. Of course, this was not unusual, because walking sticks are always more active at night in their natural environment. Daytime is too dangerous. Some bird might see them and snatch them up for lunch! (So they pretend to be a stick or twig, all day.) I did bring a fresh lettuce leaf and placed it in front of Wally's mouth, and sure enough, she soon began chomping on it. That was an exciting development.

The copyright of the article A Stick's Tale in Nature Sketches is owned by Renie Burghardt. Permission to republish A Stick's Tale in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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