GREEK STICK INSECT
The Greek stick insect reaches a length of 65 to 105mm and is usually brown, but can, on occasion, be green. Technical bit now, at the end of the abdomen is a pair of segmented appendages which are helpful in identification between the Greek and the Mediterranean stick insects. These appendages are called Cerci (not after the lady in Game of Thrones) and are short and stout on the Greek stick insect, compared to slender and long on the Mediterranean species. There are no male Greek stick insects, they are all females. Sorry, more technical stuff. Parthenogenesis is the term used for females that reproduce without the need for males. The females lay ready fertilized eggs, which all hatch and mature into females.
Greek stick insects can be found inland, but they prefer a coastal environment. Their preferred shrub is mastic, and large round bites on the leaves are evidence of the insect's whereabouts. They are nocturnal, so nighttime with a torch is the best way to spot them, unless they crawl up the wall of your cottage. They can be seen all through the year, but are more common from May until November, leaving the eggs to overwinter and the nymphs to hatch in the Spring.
