Pinky II (Pepto) goes on exhibit

The newest pink katydid, which goes by the name of "Pepto", is now a ward of the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, Ohio. We took her down there Friday, introduced her to the staff, and gave a briefing on what little we knew about the care and maintenance of pink katydids. We also armed them with lots of good info about katydids and singing insects.

I really hope that Pepto lives a good, long life. In the realm of a katydid, that might be another month or two. For the brief period that I had her in my care, she was eating like a horse, a good sign to be sure. Pepto is especially fond of sunflower petals and leaves of plants in the rose family - not difficult fodder to obtain.

The entrance to COSI, in downtown Columbus. If you've not been here, it's well worth the visit. Scads of kids of all ages stream through the doors every day, and for as long as Pepto lasts, a great many of them will ooh and aah over her. The COSI staff have prepared a nicely decorated and sizeable cage for her, and three or four times a day she'll be trotted out to the masses, and be part of a science lesson on various animals.

Thus, the seemingly inconsequential anomaly of a pink katydid will become a doorway for kids - and adults - to learn more about the natural world, and singing insects (Orthopterans) in particular.

I just hope Pepto lives a good, long life!