Hello, friend. Did you hear my music? In the summer months, I fill the air with my song, and other insects often join in, creating a marvelous bush orchestra.
I’ve noticed your bush boots as you’ve paused to observe insects or one of those nasty beings with wings that frighten me so. You call them birds and I’m sure I’ll be a tasty treat if I’m ever noticed by one. But today, you stopped to look at me.
What would you like to know? I use sound to communicate by rubbing my wing alongside the row of pegs on my hindleg. Much like a violinist. This is known as striducation, but not all grasshoppers striduate. Some perfer to crepitate by snapping their wings to the beat instead.
Do you wonder why we make such a racket in summer? Sometimes, it sounds more like a ruckus than an orchestra, you see we don’t always play in tune. Our mission is to entertain the ladies and they don’t seem to mind either way.
Attracting ladies to our side is important because with our help the ladies will inject eggs into the soil. Our baby nymphs will hatch in spring and they’ll announce summer’s arrival once they’ve graduated with wings.
I don’t think we are popular insects like bees or butterflies. I’ve heard we’ve been called pests. Perhaps it’s because we’re omnivores who love to eat stems, leaves, buds, and even roots. Once our community of grasshoppers has grown in number, we can destroy plants that you grow for food, but we like to live in forests and woodlands. You see, the bush is our home first of all.
Would you like to listen to a grasshopper story?
Let’s sing a song!
Could you draw me in your nature journal too?
Goodbye, my friend.
Table of Contents
Would you like to learn more about grasshoppers?
Investigate grasshoppers in the Backyard Nature Study Guide | Summer / Autumn | Volume 5.
You may be interested in:
Counting Spots | Lady Beetles
Earn your Nature Club Badges while exploring grasshoppers by being an Insect Observer.
