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Mystery bug solved
Bug enthusiast and friend of this blog Tom Burr has identified the mystery bug.
He writes: "Looks like you have the Carolina Grasshopper (Dissosteirra carolina) on the rocks. (Sounds like something to order from a fancy bar.) It’s a common species and can be quite gray.
"Here are some links to photos: http://bugguide.net/node/view/9465/bgimage and http://www.sdvc.uwyo.edu/grasshopper/cofsdica.htm
Nature enthusiast and friend of this blog Pedro thinks it’s a Carolina Locust.
animalexploration.tripod.com/carolinalocust.html
I think we’re talking about the same bug — aka the black-winged grasshopper, the road duster, and the butterfly grasshopper. Thanks, guys!
2 comments
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When I first came across one of these I thought it was a butterfly… it wasn’t until it landed that I realized it wasn’t.
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Whew! I’m always glad when someone agrees with one of my amateurish identifications. Thanks, Pedro! Yes, it’s the same “bug.” Some grasshoppers, especially those with biblical appetites, are known as locusts. The “bug” we call the 17-year “locust” is a cicada. And none of the above are really bugs, which belong to a whole different Order–Hemiptera. No matter–they’re all great!
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2 comments
Pedro
When I first came across one of these I thought it was a butterfly… it wasn’t until it landed that I realized it wasn’t.
Tom Burr
Whew! I’m always glad when someone agrees with one of my amateurish identifications. Thanks, Pedro! Yes, it’s the same “bug.” Some grasshoppers, especially those with biblical appetites, are known as locusts. The “bug” we call the 17-year “locust” is a cicada. And none of the above are really bugs, which belong to a whole different Order–Hemiptera. No matter–they’re all great!