2.10.2009

Patience, Grasshopper

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Treebeard tells me that this very young grasshopper that we saw while walking in the yard this afternoon is a Mischievous Bird Grasshopper, Schistocerca damnifica.
I'll go with that.
Critters have been very active the past couple of days. Bald eagles have flown over the house, a mink was scurrying along the weeds in the yard, spring peepers are singing their little throat sacs out over in the swamp across the road, bluebirds are checking out the boxes Treebeard put up...I hate to tell 'em that the cold weather isn't done with us yet. Despite a few days in the 70s F, the forecasters are calling for seasonable temperatures for the weekend. Of course they are, I'm off this weekend ;)

6 comments:

jozien said...

Wonderfull blog and wonderful photos. I think i wonder with you for a while. Thanks

harttwins said...

damnifica-n tell tell what kind of grasshopper that is. Before I looked closely at the photo, I thought it was a freshly eclosed Rosy-maple moth.

swamp4me said...

jozien,
Thanks and you are most welcome to wonder with me! I stopped by one of your blogs -- looks very chilly in your neck of the woods :)

harttwins,
You know, don't you, that the only reason that Treebeard can ID those hoppers is cuz I bought him a field guide ;)

Unknown said...

That's a good find, almost other worldly. And good camera work.

nina at Nature Remains. said...

I'm so glad to hear the reports of spring creeping north.
I hear peepers, too--just 2, though.
One's out behind the pond, one over near the barn.
But, I know it won't be too long before the yard is FULL of them.

swamp4me said...

RVS,
They do have an unusual appearance when they are young. You would have laughed if you had seen me crawling around trying to get a photo of the little devil ;)

nina,
Spring's coming...unfortunately so is some more cold weather :( Tonight the leopard frogs and Brimley's have joined the chorus along with the peepers. Hope the drop in temps overnight and into tomorrow doesn't discourage them too much!