Northern Green Striped Grasshopper

I believe this little grasshopper is the female "Northern Green Striped Grasshopper" Joey and I made a trip out to Happy Holler to look at the river which was flooded from recent heavy rains. We decided to take pizza with us and have a little picnic. After we were finished eating I explored the grasses and bushes nearby and found this little grasshopper trying pitifully to hop away. Some of her legs were missing and she seemed to be having some difficulty in navigating where she wanted to go. She tended to stay close to the ground under the grasses making it very difficult to capture a picture. I finally placed her on top of this clover bloom and managed to take a few photos before she once again disappeared in the grasses below. This species is quite common in our area. Males are marked very differently from the females. Males will be all brown, and blend in well with dirt and dried grasses. You will find them in moist habitats such as near rivers, where this one was. Also found in prairies, grasslands and grassy slopes. These are not considered a significant pest to agricultural crops as their numbers in any given area are usually not too high. They prefer to eat succulents but will also feed on a variety of low growing grasses. Mating occurs in late summer, with females depositing eggs that hatch late in the season, these young nymphs will overwinter. In the spring the nymphs become active again and begin feeding and finish their growth cycle. Typically these are the first grasshoppers seen in the spring.

Molt in Progress

There is something to be said for "being at the right place at the right time". I came across this scene one evening last August. This differential grasshopper was attached to the leaf of a milkweed plant. I was fortunate enough to see this transformation from beginning to end. It took about 45 minutes for it to complete the molt (instar) and another hour before he had pumped enough fluids into his wings and could jump away. I can see why this would be a very vulnerable period for an insect. They are helpless against the need to lose a skin they have outgrown. The process is not a fast one, and as they go through the grueling process they are unable to retreat, or use any other defense that would normally be at their disposal. I'm sure many insects are sacrificed during a molting period. If you look at the pictures closely you can see just how small the shed skin is in comparison to how large the grasshopper looks. As he was slowly relieving himself of his skin he was pumping fluids into his body and that was making him larger. No need for steroids when you are an insect.

This tiny grasshopper nymph was hiding on the moss in our timber. If he hadn't of moved I would have never seen it. It was so little, barely 3/8 of an inch. It had very cryptic colors, looked very much like moss or lichen. I managed to snap a few photos of him before he hopped away to be hidden from my sight. I never did find him again. Great camoflauge.

Death Comes too Soon

Last October I was wondering around my yard looking for what remaining insects that were brave enough or strong enough to have survived the hard freeze we had the previous night. The temps. were in the upper 60's and the sun was shining. I spotted numerous Asian Lady Beetles and Box Elder bugs on the south side of the house, a few hardier wasps and flies buzzing around. Then I came across this grasshopper resting on the side of a tree in our front yard, I approached him and he continued to sit still, I snapped a few pictures and moved in closer and still he didn't move. After advancing on him to the point of being a mere few inches from him I got suspicious. I reached out and touched him and discovered this poor little fellow didn't survive the freeze and apparently froze in place. Morbid or Fascinating? Not sure....but definitely Mother Nature in action.

Differential Grasshopper

I found this little guy hiding in a scotch pine.