The “little” grasshopper.
I spent some time with an adorable 3 year old recently.
Among other things, she was enchanted by the creepy crawling animals – to her, they were all bugs. Of course, I immediately found her a container for her insects and we became bug-hunting buddies. Locusts and crickets were the most productive. She was a master at catching them, and every other little creepy animal. By the age of three, she already had the skill to catch things without harming them, even the fast spiders and moths. It’s pretty remarkable.
She especially likes papa long legs and moths, they were her favorites. Although we caught bugs, crickets, nudibranchs, grasshoppers and flies. But no ants. She doesn’t like to catch ants. We decided to watch but not catch ants. And we don’t like mosquitoes at all. This is fair.
Having time to hunt for insects in the summer turned out to be a treat for me. When else would it take me hours in midsummer to wander around catching insects? But in the presence of a three-year-old from Wyoming, for whom this area is a lush green oasis, this became a priority. Full disclosure, when she found out the turkey watchers loved to eat locusts, we caught them and fed them. Sometimes the turkey-watchers hunted with us. Sorry, locusts.
It also made me slow down, take a closer look, and better appreciate the makers of my favorite summer sounds. The humming, chirping and trilling of crickets and grasshoppers lulls me to sleep at night, and I fall asleep while I choose the different patterns and tones. Wandering through the grass looking for them gave them definition, tangible form. I can’t yet assign the sound to the species – one day I’ll make this a summer project – but the variety of colors and shapes makes the sounds even more magical.
In the order Orthoptera there are hundreds of different representatives in our region, including species of grasshopper, including short horns, ribbon-winged and spur. They sound like gang names … Katydids and Crickets do the night shift and are just as diverse. I think everyone knows the ribbon-winged grasshoppers that frighten when you approach and flutter through the air in a random escape, landing ugly, but quickly disappearing due to their camouflage.
The camouflage doesn’t help them much when the turkey-watchers are actually on the prowl. It took them about a day to set their search parameters for the locusts – in order to be able to distinguish between them sitting in the grass and flying. Once you know what to look for, watch out for orthopteras! However, on some foraging trips, they were not interested in it. This was a great opportunity for us human bug catchers to catch a few of them in our observation glasses.
Up close, some of the locust friends are actually brightly colored. Red, yellow, orange, a few different shades of green, brown and black, all in one person. No wonder kids like them! Others are all speckled brown, practically invisible on the gravel driveway (although turkey-watchers think these are the tastiest). The emerald green and slightly otherworldly green of the Katydids really breaks the boundaries of our artistic palette. Their antenna is so delicate, they have such a strange expression. They’re also mostly wings, so the turkey-watchers often ignore them. However, they are a great treasure for the observation glass!
This summer has been a busy one, I’ve been more concerned with the world in general than I usually do. The days I spent hunting bugs and walking turkey-watching kept me on the ground. All the things that I need to remember come to mind while walking … there are beautiful things in life, just take a closer look; extravagant and subdued both have their place; to sing; slower; death is inevitable, but should sustain other life; Stay calm and patient most of the time, but fly when you need to; Be generous with your time and your treasures. It’s easy to walk around the yard at home and take it for granted. It is easy to slip into complacency and forget how special the world – especially the natural world – really is; how much it can heal, inspire and calm. Sharing with a three-year-old turned locusts into mythical creatures worth hunted and caught and then gently released at the end of the night. If they weren’t offered turkey peeps.
Enjoy the summer sounds and take some time to meet the residents singing in the twilight.
The Audubon Community Nature Center builds and maintains connections between humans and nature. ACNC is east of Route 62 between Warren and Jamestown. The trails are open from morning to night, as is Liberty, the bald eagle. The nature center is open every day from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except on Sundays when it opens at 1:00 p.m. For more information, visit auduboncnc.org online or call (716) 569-2345.
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