Grasshoppers

Grasshoppers are plentiful throughout the earth and are well-represented in the Laurel Lake area. These insects live in fields where there are many leaves to eat. Throughout history, grasshoppers have destroyed entirecrops such as corn, wheat, alfalfa, and cotton. Most longhorn grasshopperseat entire plants. Some grasshoppers even eat the remains of animals.

Many grasshoppers are preyed upon by such creatures as spiders, beetles,wasps, birds, lizards, mice, and snakes.

Grasshoppers have terrific leaping ability. Many grasshoppers can leapup to 20 times their body length. Grasshoppers use their great leaping abilityto escape danger. Often, grasshoppers spit a brownish liquid that aids in protection against attacks by other insects.

Like other insects, grasshoppers have a 3-sectioned body. These sectionsinclude the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. The grasshopper's head has 5 eyes and 2 antennae. Also, like other insects, the grasshopper has 6 legs, and it uses all 6 legs for walking.

Grasshoppers lay between 2 and 120 eggs in the autumn of the year. The eggs areheld together with a sticky substance from the female's body. The young hatch thefollowing spring. It takes between 40 and 60 days for the grasshoppers to mature intoadults.

Some common types of grasshoppers include the long-horned grasshopper, theshort-horned grasshopper, and the katydid.