Red-Legged Grasshopper
Melanoplus femurrubrum
While the grasshopper probably is not most folk's favorite creature, it still is a critter that deserves cataloguing and attention. He is in the same order as Jiminy Cricket and the locusts that plagued Egypt. However, when I found this little fella he was neither signing nor devouring crops. This grasshopper is likely a red-legged grasshopper. But, as with many insect identifications, it's hard to tell without pulling him apart and examining his nearly microscopic body parts.
Grasshoppers like to hang out in grassy places (who would have guessed) with good sun exposure across North America. I found this fella in the late afternoon in the right-of-way underneath the giant power-line stanchions. Grasshoppers are an important part of the ecosystem - eating back grasses and providing sustenance to a variety of bird species, including wild turkey. But if their populations become too large, grasshoppers can become a pest to crop lands. They also can carry parasites which can be transfer to human consumed poultry. So, remember to cook food thoroughly.
Grasshoppers like to hang out in grassy places (who would have guessed) with good sun exposure across North America. I found this fella in the late afternoon in the right-of-way underneath the giant power-line stanchions. Grasshoppers are an important part of the ecosystem - eating back grasses and providing sustenance to a variety of bird species, including wild turkey. But if their populations become too large, grasshoppers can become a pest to crop lands. They also can carry parasites which can be transfer to human consumed poultry. So, remember to cook food thoroughly.
This isn't Egypt
Why not check out the Chipping Sparrow HERE
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