These rare pink insects are hiding among the foliage at Ojibway Park

It's a rare sighting: A small oblong insect coloured a bright Barbie pink. 

It's a pink katydid, a grasshopper-like insect with a recessive gene that turns them from their usual pale green to bright pink. 

Geoff Pekor is an insect enthusiast who makes a hobby out of looking for these, and other unusual insects at Ojibway Park. He recently spotted a pink katydid — but it's not the first one he's found. 

In fact, he has a knack for it. 

"If anybody knows anything about pink katydids, they are not common," Pekor said. "They say it's about one in 500, give or take, but that's how it started with me, was just finding a couple at night and then I kept going and I kept finding them.

"It was very unusual… most people only might see one their whole life, and I was able to see a whole bunch."

Pekor got into looking for them when he was shown a picture by another nature and insect enthusiast. Later, he was out looking for insects at night, using a flashlight to roam the trails. 

"I happened to put my flashlight right on this beautiful pink katydid," he said. 

Pekor is a photographer, with a particular interest in macro photographs. He has a collection of pink katydid photos. 

Pekor volunteers with some Ontario universities to catalog insects, including some types of spiders, and now, pink katydids. His photos of the rare katydids even caught the attention of the Montreal Insectarium, with representatives coming (permit in hand) to collect a couple of katydids for a exhibit. 

"My theory is that during the day the species in general will stick to the base of a plant and they'll stay pretty low to avoid predators," he said. "At night time, I've noticed I find my pink katydids pretty much near the tops of plants. 

"So I assume that they're comfortable at night time. And it's just perfect for me because I'm out at night and I'm scanning the tops of vegetation and they're there."

But, he says, Ojibway also seems to be a home for many unusual and rare species, not just katydids. 

"It doesn't stop. You just never know what you're going to find … it's a really special place."