FRIENDS OF EDGEWOOD NATURAL PRESERVE
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FRIENDS OF EDGEWOOD NATURAL PRESERVE
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EDGEWOOD’S GRASSHOPPERS By Paul Heiple Grasshoppers are easy to find in Edgewood this time of year. Also known as short-horned grasshoppers because of their short antennae, these insects are in the order Orthoptera (straight wing, referring to the forewing of many that are held straight along the back). Within the short-horned grasshopper family Acididae, we find spur-throated, slant-faced, and banded-winged grasshoppers. Spur-throated grasshoppers are named for the spur in their throats just behind their mouths. These are the most common grasshoppers and the ones that cause the most damage. Populations of these insects can explode into vast numbers that eat everything in their path. Clouds of these grasshoppers can number in the trillions. Some species can have more than one generation a year. Fortunately in Edgewood, these grasshoppers do not reach such numbers; they are just the common grasshoppers in the grasses and weeds. They are often seen supplying food for the large spiders, a task I doubt they wish to perform. I have not seen any slant-faced grasshoppers in Edgewood. They can be identified by their face, which slants down and backward, giving the head a cone-shaped, pointy look. They are much less common than the spur-throats. Banded-winged grasshoppers are often found in areas with little vegetation like roads and paths. Their behavior gives them away. Instead of just hopping out of the way, these insects fly up, make noise and flash their back wings, which are often brightly colored. They then land some distance up the path or road and seem to disappear, their color now blending with the soil or rocks. This is surely a way to confuse and startle any predator and then hide from them. There are several species in Edgewood, judging by the wing colors I have seen. These grasshoppers are common but do not become so numerous as to be destructive. I suggest you go out and look for these animals in the next few weeks along the service road. With pictures and some detective work, we could identify some of them down to the species level. |
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