Who says pictures don’t lie?
This bug looks like he’s sitting on a fence post, and is big enough to eat Saskatchewan. I’m sure he’s actually a bitty little bug, but I do love this shot.
I have quite a history with grasshoppers. When I was a little girl, my parents and I were driving through southern Alberta on a blisteringly hot summer day. In those pre-air conditioning days, we had all the windows wide open to catch a breeze.
What we caught was grasshoppers. Hundreds of them. We drove through a huge swarm,and the car was full of hoppers – in our hair, in our eyes, on our laps, collecting against the back window. My father pulled over so we could clear the car, but several miles later, one remaining hopper climbed out of my mother’s curly permed hair which sent my father and I into hysterics. Mother was not amused.
When I was a teenager someone dared me to eat deep fried grasshoppers. They weren’t bad. Little salty, little crunchy.
Years later, our first camping trip in Saskatchewan also coincided with a grasshopper invasion. The ground was absolutely moving with hoppers. When you walked through them, you had clouds flying up on both sides. As we stood there debating where to put up our ground tent we decided it might be a good idea to cram into our friend’s holiday trailer for the night.
I guess it’s no wonder this picture appealed to me. We have quite a history, these bugs and I.
- I cannot claim credit for this amazing photo. It was taken by a nature-loving friend in Vancouver, BC, who graciously gave me permission to use it. Check out Lady Woodpeckers Birds & Beyond Blog