For THAT'S MY WORLD. Our outdoor paradise here in SW Florida has some odd drawbacks this time of year! It seems only fair to let our neighbors who have already left know what they're NOT missing!
You never know what you'll see on your boat dock these days! This guy looked to me like something that dropped in from outer space.
Lubber grasshoppers are hard on plants and even though we don't have one, we try to help our gardening neighbors by (permanently) getting rid of some of these frequent visitors. But it is disconcerting because their big dark eyes seem to make them more personable than most insects.
The adult lubbers are huge for insects -- three to six inches long. And they have a voracious appetite. Here's a Link for more information.
Not so harmful but also no fun is the annual spring hatch of Lovebugs. (Yeah, that's two bugs on our car window, doing what they do to create more lovebugs for next season.) These are miniscule compared to the grasshopper -- only about 1/4 inches long, but they are real pests. To get an idea of the problem, multiply this pair by, oh a million or so, most of which seem to have shortened their already brief life by splatting on the hood and windshield of our van. They don't bite but they sure can mess up a car.
The lovebug hatch lasts less than a month, so it's not a long-term problem, but definitely an annoyance during the season. Wikipedia has an article, but this one is funnier -- and, as far as we know, biologically correct.
What beautiful patternings on the grasshopper! Love bugs sound annoying!
Posted by: Crafty Green Poet | May 29, 2011 at 06:55 AM
Great capture Sallie, the "antennae" made the grasshopper look like an alien. Though I have only seen the green ones.
Posted by: Ebie | May 26, 2011 at 01:22 PM
I know they are pests but, in your first picture, he's so cute. I'm sure if a saw one that big I'd change my mind. It was nice of him to pose for you so we could see those big eyes.
Posted by: Margot | May 25, 2011 at 10:29 AM
The top composition is fantastic! Great capture. Close-ups like this always make me think of Sci-Fi movies! :-)
Posted by: JM | May 25, 2011 at 08:38 AM
Wow, that really looks like something out of a science fiction movie! He definitely qualifies for the leading role as the alien! Marvelous shots!
Posted by: Inger-M | May 24, 2011 at 10:52 AM
The grasshopper certainly does seem personable. He's really pretty, tho. And, the love bugs are also a problem in GA. Not a real fun thing to deal with when they are in the hundreds.
Posted by: bettyl | May 24, 2011 at 03:30 AM
Wonderful close-up! The grasshopper looks like a plastic toy and has impressive, gentle, wise-looking dark eyes. I've never seen such a colorful and big one and actually almost all the grasshoppers I’ve seen are green. Thank you for sharing. Stay cool, Sallie.
Posted by: Yoko alias stardust | May 23, 2011 at 10:26 PM
If only the grasshoppers ate the lovebugs instead of plants, the problem would be solved!
Posted by: Barb | May 23, 2011 at 10:03 PM
How beautiful this grashopper is! Very good shot! - Thanks for your lovely comments to my posts. I´m happy you like my blog :)) - I don´t know the name from the tree. Have a happy day!xx Tina
Posted by: Leckeres für Mensch und Katze | May 23, 2011 at 09:40 PM
Afraid that I am so far behind that I will never catch up after being gone for a while.
I have to agree with most of what others have said. I certainly agree with your thought on killing them as well. I can't stand bugs; they make me want to climb on something to get away from them, but I have to move them out of my house or patio or I would be forever on top of the table.
Posted by: Rita aka Cashjocky | May 23, 2011 at 09:33 PM
What an amazing shot of the grasshopper's lovely colouring. Such a shame it's a nuisance and eats all the plants though...
Posted by: Lady Fi | May 23, 2011 at 08:35 PM
I got side tracked by the love bugs and completely forgot about the 6 inch grasshoppers. Sounds a lot like the locusts we saw in Israel.
But back to the lovers, and the article. The last line made the article. We've all been in *that* relationship. :)
Posted by: Wren | May 23, 2011 at 08:13 PM
Great shots of the grasshopper!
My Grandpa fished with grasshoppers when I was young and I've never liked them since.
Your linked story on the love bugs was hilarious. :)
Posted by: Carletta | May 23, 2011 at 07:54 PM
This creature is rather colourful - but that face is, as you say, alien looking! I cannot imagine a grasshopper that big, I like them cute and small and green.
Posted by: Lesley | May 23, 2011 at 05:35 PM
I cannot help it,I love grasshoppers.They are so strange looking that they are cute.
I never heard of lovebugs!I learned something new today,thank-you!phyllis
Posted by: phyllis oller | May 23, 2011 at 04:31 PM
Both can be annoying but the Love Bugs are what my hubby dislikes the most because they mess up his car.
Great shots, Sallie.
be well, be happy
Pam
Posted by: Pam | May 23, 2011 at 03:53 PM
I can't imagine a six-inch grasshopper. The quarter-inch bugs are more my size. LOL
Very interesting post, and the close-up of the grasshopper really does look like a movie alien.
— K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
Posted by: Kay Davies | May 23, 2011 at 03:51 PM
Great shots! A real alien beauty! Have a nice day :)
Posted by: fjällripan | May 23, 2011 at 03:38 PM
He is a real beauty...he probably is an alien creature--They dont do much damage here so we dont bother them. Awesome photo!!!
Posted by: Sondra | May 23, 2011 at 02:45 PM
I love that first shot - it looks more like a little animal than a bug, and almost cute! Bugs were harmed for the making of this post :)
Posted by: Al | May 23, 2011 at 01:46 PM
I've never even heard of a lubber grasshopper, and your captures are AMAZING! It's been funny how I keep running into natural things we humans have called a nuisance: weeds, vermin, pests... and yet how cool they look!
Posted by: Francisca | May 23, 2011 at 01:42 PM
I bet they make good fish bait! Patrick McManus, a north Idaho native and humorist, wrote a story called "The Grasshopper Trap" which is hilarious. It is included in a collection of stories also called "The Grasshopper Trap," which you may be able to find at a library. His stories a wonderful light reading, pick one up if you get the chance!
Thanks for coming by, my white bleeding hearts are beginning to bloom, so I might make a post with them, also. Maybe! :-)
Posted by: Dimple | May 23, 2011 at 01:10 PM
Cute shot with him peeking out at you!
Posted by: Dina J | May 23, 2011 at 01:06 PM
I like the grasshopper - he is cute :) Great capture Sallie!
I have an orchestra of grasshoppers in my ears almost all the time nowerdays. I would prefere having them outdoors ;)
Posted by: Birgitta - foto CHIP | May 23, 2011 at 12:50 PM
Terrific captures of a very interesting looking insect! He does have BIG eyes! Enjoy your week, Sallie!
Sylvia
Posted by: Sylvia Kirkwood | May 23, 2011 at 12:35 PM
Nice to look at though;)
Posted by: Sivinden | May 23, 2011 at 12:11 PM
Good close ups of a hard to shoot subjest!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
Posted by: Boom & Gary | May 23, 2011 at 12:11 PM
Wonderful shots of the grasshopper. Nice closeups.
Posted by: Rajesh | May 23, 2011 at 12:06 PM