On our walk through the everglades
my group of fellow research classmates and I came across so many amazing
animals but one caught my eye. It was one of the most bizarre yet perfectly colored
creatures. I could never imagine the
nature could naturally create a being in such precise detail. I first spotted
it out of the corner of my eye as I was walking along one of the trails in the
Everglades National Park. The insect was sitting on one of the ledges that
guarded the trail from the alligator infested waters. Its body coloration
consisted of a yellow orange base with black dots running in straight lines. It
has 8 legs and one pair of antenna.
After
the hike I was so amazed by the beautiful being that I just had to look up what
it was called and more about is state living. This creature is commonly called
an astern lubber grasshopper and has a scientific name of Romalea microptera. Upon
further investigation on the internet I learned that these grasshoppers are
actually one of the few in its category that are flightless. These creatures are naturally found in Florida
and some parts of the coastal plains but due to changes in climate and
habitats, they cannot be found in many other areas of the world. Because of
their ability to quickly adapt to changes in the environment these insects have
drastically increased in population size because they can outcompete many other
species for food, space and mates. This can create problems for many homeowners
and farmers because they can quickly become invasive and destroy local crops
such as citrus groves. To make matters
even worse because these insects were not originally from this area they have
no natural predators to help keep their population levels in check.
These grasshoppers were so beautiful
that I hope that I will have to opportunity to see one again by the end of this
trip. This way I will be able to quietly witness and observe some of their
incredible behaviors. For more information on these outstanding flightless
grasshoppers please visit the links below.
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