'Baby' (Nymph) Grasshoppers

It was a most beautiful sunny day and pretty much wind still. Ideal circumstances for my type of photography.  

At first I planned to go to the ancient woodland. But once outside I let my 'instincts' take over and I wandered off into a different direction. It was quite early and the dandelions hadn't even opened their sleepy heads yet.

There weren't many insects out so I just thoughtlessly wandered along the stone wall to one of my favourite spots last year in September. I used to go oup there to soak up the late summer evening sunshine and sit on crumbled down pieces of stonewalls. The stones were still warm from the days sunshine and full with insects. It is then when I discovered this one spot which seemed to be a hanging out place for the grasshoppers.

To my great surprise, when approaching my favourite stone today, there was much jumping going on. Most likely disturbed by my footsteps, dozens of nymph grasshoppers jumped onto the stones! I had never before seen a 'baby' grasshopper and was amazed! So very small, so very detailed, so beautiful! I decided to take up my seat and not to move. These little creatuers where hard to see and I didn't want to step on them or lean on them while taking up various postures trying to get a goo snapshot. It was a very busy place.

 Common green grasshopper nymph ... a little camera shy.

Not sure about this one ... perhaps a meadow grasshopper nymph?  It is so very tiny, hardly noticable among the lichen. Is it not most beautiful!?

This one was a little bigger than the others and also a bit more fiesty ... it was making warning gestures as I was a little to close of its liking.


And here are some of the adults. Shown below the common green grasshoppers but there were other species, too, I just have to find the photographs again!

Here too, I spent hours watching these adults last year in september. They too have quite amusing behaviour when together, particularily when to rival meet. I did film some of it but sadly seem to have lost the footage due to the HD breakdown.

It belongs for me to one the THE relaxation sounds on a warm summers evening, listening to the grasshoppers. They were not disturbed by my presence and allowed me to get up close.

Below last years (september) adults.

A couple of common green grasshoppers. The bigger one being the female. The male meanwhile seems to be scratching his head: "Just what have I got myself into!"

It will be interesting to observe the little ones grow.