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Hopping critters of our garden |
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Hop hop hop!
Grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and similar insects. Interesting creatures...
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The song of this blacklegged meadow katydid (Orchelimum nigripes, or perhaps
Orchelimum pulchellum) carries all
through our yard, and seems to be close by no matter where I happen to be
wandering. But there is only one male around, and that's the one pictured here.
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This immature katydid has been lounging on a persicaria in our side garden
for days now, its wings getting slightly more defined every day. After not
much action in the development area for nearly two weeks, all of a sudden
overnight a major transformation - to the handsome one in the photo below. It's
most likely a greater angle-wing katydid, Microcentrum rhombifolium
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Planthoppers and their ilk
Diminutive critters with amazing jumping powers. Many don't look like much
until you see them up close with the advantage of macro photography.
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Tiny thing spotted on a goldfinch heuchera - not until seeing the digital
photo did I really know he looked so cool. It's probably an Acanalonia
conica, or flatid planthopper (don't you love the name?).
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A meadow spittlebug decided my knee was just the place to be.
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Very colorful little leafhopper - although it takes a close-up view to really
appreciate it. Apparently, this one feeds on a wide variety of garden plants, and
doesn't usually cause serious damage.
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Another not-too-bright-looking planthopper, this one most likely a specimen of
Coelidia olitoria.
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Crickets
I hear you, but where are you? That's usually what I think when I hear boy
crickets singing, but once in a while I'm patient enough to spot one and take
its picture. The results of those efforts are shown here.
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As small as it is, the red-headed bush cricket is one of the primary noise-makers
in our garden in late summer and fall. The shot at left was of the first one I
saw - I'm not sure if the golden coloration is just a trick of the light, but
all the ones I saw after that, like the ones below, were more brown in color.
I came upon the couple pictured below one morning in fall - the male is clearly
singing as pretty as he can, the female is approaching from behind. When the
guy spotted me, he stormed off indignantly.
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Unidentified female bush cricket sitting on the paulownia tree of love.
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Unidentified grass-hopping youngster (here spotted on a blade of siberian iris)
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Two differential grassphoppers (Melanoplus differentialis) having at it.
The big mama stuck around for several more days, the little daddy was gone soon
afterwards.
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Last modified:
July 23, 2005
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