Walking sticks, or stick insects, are a group of highly camouflaged insects. They typically escape predation by blending into plant material, but that was not the case as seen here on a bench at Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve. As their name suggests, they look just like sticks, and may even sway back and forth to more closely resemble a twig moving in the wind. Depending on the species, walking sticks can grow from 1 to 12 inches long, with females usually growing bigger than the males.
Stick insects are the biggest insects in the world. Walking sticks are found on every continent except Antarctica. They mostly live in temperate and tropical regions like Southwest Florida. Within these areas, the stick insect usually inhabits woodlands and tropical forests, where it hides on trees in plain sight. All walking sticks are herbivores. They use their strong mandibles to consume leaves, the primary food in their diet.
Walking sticks are one of many species that can reproduce parthenogenetically, meaning the females can produce unfertilized eggs that hatch and grow into new females. Newly hatched walking sticks reach adult size once they have undergone several molts. They reach maturity between three months and one year, and usually live up to two years. More than 3,000 species of stick insect exist, many of which are susceptible to habitat destruction, pesticide use, and collection for the exotic pet trade.