Dan Akroyd in a Salad?!

I got a call from a friend the other night. She was a home making a salad, when she found something in the bowl that was bright green, but definitely not leafy.

The first words I heard were, "Hi Rob, I was making a salad and noticed a large, bright green grasshopper-like insect in it. I thought you'd know what it is." Hmmm, should I be flattered that someone thinks of me when they find an unidentified insect in their food? Anyway, I asked her what it looked like to which she replied, "It is large, green and has an odd cone-shaped head". Ah hah! A light bulb when off over my head. It's a conehead, I replied. "A conehead?" Yeah, they're a kind of katydid. I've never seen one before, but have a great book entitled, "The Song of Insects". There's a whole section on coneheads. They are a harmless group of insects that one is more likely to hear than see, especially during the summer months. I was a little jealous that she accidentally stumbled on one, because I've been unsuccessful trying to find them in the wilds of Brooklyn. It seemed perfectly content munching on her salad, so she took some photos and emailed them to me.

Oh yeah, as for the Dan Akroyd reference, check out this link.