An ancient myth of the Cherokee Indians of North America was that Katydids could predict death. The fable goes, "Two hunters camping in the woods were preparing supper one night when a Katydid began singing near them. One of them said sneeringly, "Kû! It sings and don't know that it will die before the season ends." The Katydid answered: "Kû! niwï (onomatope); O, so you say; but you need not boast. You will die before to-morrow night." The next day they were surprised by the enemy and the hunter who had sneered at the Katydid was killed."

Katydids are relatives of grasshoppers and crickets. Katydids have oval-shaped wings with a lot of veins and resemble leaves. They live in forests, thickets, or fields with a lot of shrubs. Both male and female katydids make sounds by rubbing their forewings together.