Randolph, Vance (2012). Ozark Magic and Folklore. Dover Publications. ISBN 978-1-306-33958-2. OCLC 868269974. Phasmatodea eggs resemble seeds in shape and size and have hard shells. They have a lid-like structure called an operculum at the anterior pole, from which the nymph emerges during hatching. The eggs vary in the length of time before they hatch which varies from 13 to more than 70 days, with the average around 20 to 30 days. [16] Some species, particularly those from temperate regions, undergo diapause, where development is delayed during the winter months. Diapause is initiated by the effect of short day lengths on the egg-laying adults or can be genetically determined. Diapause is broken by exposure to the cold of winter, causing the eggs to hatch during the following spring. Among species of economic importance such as Diapheromera femorata, diapause results in the development of two-year cycles of outbreaks. [29] Eggs of various phasmid species (not to scale)

Phasmids are herbivorous, feeding mostly on the leaves of trees and shrubs, and a conspicuous component of many Neotropical systems. Phasmatodea has been postulated as dominant light-gap herbivores there. Their role in the forest ecosystem is considered important by many scientists, who stress the significance of light gaps in maintaining succession and resilience in climax forests. The presence of phasmids lowers the net production of early successional plants by consuming them and then enriches the soil by defecation. This enables the late succession plants to become established and encourages the recycling of the tropical forest. [32] a b Craighead, Frank Cooper; Schaffner, John Valentine (1950). Insect Enemies of Eastern Forests. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp.97–98.a b Zompro, O. (2004). "Revision of the genera of the Areolatae, including the status of Timema and Agathemera (Insecta: Phasmatodea)". Organización Para Estudios Tropicales, (OET), Costa Rica Bibliografía Nacional en Biología Tropical (BINABITROP). 37: 1–327. Osmond, Meredith (1998). "Chapter 8: Fishing and Hunting Implements". In Ross, Malcolm; Pawley, Andrew; Osmond, Meredith (eds.). The lexicon of Proto Oceanic vol. 1 Material culture. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. p.219. doi: 10.15144/PL-C152.211. ISBN 0-85883-507-X . Retrieved 9 February 2020. a b Dossey, Aaron; Spencer Walse; James R. Rocca; Arthur S. Edison (September 2006). "Single-Insect NMR: A New Tool To Probe Chemical Biodiversity". ACS Chemical Biology. 1 (8): 511–514. doi: 10.1021/cb600318u. PMID 17168538.

a b Matthews, Robert W.; Matthews, Janice R. (2009). Insect Behavior. Springer Science & Business Media. pp.187–189. ISBN 978-90-481-2389-6. Wedmann, Sonja; Bradler, Sven; Rust, Jes (2006). "The first fossil leaf insect: 47 million years of specialized cryptic morphology and behavior". PNAS. 104 (2): 565–569. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0606937104. PMC 1766425. PMID 17197423. Some species, such as the young nymphs of Extatosoma tiaratum, have been observed to curl the abdomen upwards over the body and head to resemble ants or scorpions in an act of mimicry, another defense mechanism by which the insects avoid becoming prey. The eggs of some species such as Diapheromera femorata have fleshy projections resembling elaiosomes (fleshy structures sometimes attached to seeds) that attract ants. When the egg has been carried to the colony, the adult ant feeds the elaiosome to a larva while the phasmid egg is left to develop in the recesses of the nest in a protected environment. [20] Scottish Highlands & Islands postcodes: AB, FK, HS, IV, KA, KW, PA, PH, ZE, LL58-LL78, IM, TR, PO30-41

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