Grasshoppers

While taking photos of wildflowers I sometimes get a chance to take close-up photographs of insects. Insects, unlike flowers, don't stay in the same place for very long while I try to get a photo. I recently had some Two-striped Grasshoppers (Melanoplus bivittatus) that posed for my camera.



The Two-striped Grasshopper is easy to identify by the two yellowish  stripes that run down its back and the bright red hind legs.



The main diet of grasshoppers is plant material (leaves. seeds and fruit), but the grasshoppers are a source of protein for wildlife, such as turkeys and other birds. I've seen flocks of wild turkeys form a line and sweep back and forth across a field feeding on grasshoppers.



A close-up view of a grasshopper shows its armor-like exoskeleton and large compound eye.