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Order of the Month * Just because they are called grasshoppers does not mean they eat grass. Many of them feed on various trees, shrubs, weeds, etc. * Some are very general feeders on a wide range of plants while others feed very specifically on one type of plant. * Not all grasshoppers have large wings as adults. Short winged (brachypterous) adults can be found in many species. Some species only have brachypterous adults. * Adult Orthoptera have the front wing (mesa-wing) held out side of the hind wing (meta-wing). * Immature Orthoptera show wing pads too but hold the meta-wing over the mesa-wing. This is one way to tell if you have an immature Orthoptera or a brachypterous adult. * The "tobacco juice" that grasshoppers spit when you hold them is from their gut. Many animals can regurgitate stomach contents as a method of deterring predators. * Crickets do fly. Many species of field crickets, tree crickets and even mole crickets fly very well. They can accumulate in tremendous numbers under lights in some years. The notion that crickets can not fly must be based on immature specimens or flightless species like the Acheta domestica which is sold as fish bait and pet foods. |
