Exploring grasshoppers with ABT #CritterThursday
When you think about it, there are about a million described species of insects in the world, "more than five times the number of all animals combined," according to emeritus professor Jerry Powell in his book, California Insects. To many townsfolk, the only exposure they will have to grasshoppers or locusts are those TV images of some macho bushman eating them in an attempt at 'survival'. To rural folk, they are a traditional form of nutritious food. Grasshoppers have two antennae, 6 legs, two pairs of wings and small little pinchers to tear off food such as grasses, leaves and cereal crops. Grasshoppers are controlled in nature by predators such as birds, frogs, and snakes. Humans use insecticides and poison baits to control them when they become crop pests. Elegant Grasshopper The Elegant Grasshopper is native to Africa, and they'll eat just about anything planted in the garden , although they prefer herbs to grasses. Its distribution is restricte...