Jul 4
American Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca americana), taken June 23, 2026, in Georgia, US
A huge grasshopper sitting cutely in the pasture grass! American bird grasshoppers are aptly named for their large size, preference for flying high, and tendency to perch in trees. When you scare one, they're likely to fly up and away 100ft into a tree instead of 10ft to the next grass clump, making them both cool to watch fly and difficult to photograph. They need to be crept up on slowly, and even that doesn't always stop them from soaring off. This individual was extremely tolerant, allowing me to get macros of it, which I've never been able to do for these guys before. Thank you, grasshopper!
