It's time for another edition of #BenInNature presented by our friends at Carter Bank & Trust!

November 4, 2021

It's time for another edition of #BenInNature presented by our friends at Carter Bank & Trust!

Here's a photo I took over the summer: a green-striped grasshopper (Chortophaga viridifasciata)!

This grasshopper is a fairly common species and can be found in North America and Central America. It usually inhabits moist, grassy areas, particularly hay meadows and roadsides.

What makes this species unique is that it's one of the first grasshopper species you're likely to see in the spring, at least here in Virginia. A couple of weeks ago we looked at the American bird grasshopper (Schistocerca americana), the largest grasshopper in Virginia, which is one of the very few grasshoppers that overwinters as an adult -- as a result, it's likely the first grasshopper you'll see in the spring. The green-striped grasshopper is one of the few grasshoppers that overwinters as a nymph (a juvenile state), so they emerge in the spring fairly close to being full grown. Most grasshoppers overwinter as eggs, so it's much later in the summer before they're big enough to draw our attention!

ABOUT #BenInNature
Social distancing can be difficult, but it presents a great opportunity to become reacquainted with nature. In this series of posts, Administrator of Science Ben Williams ventures outdoors to record a snapshot of the unique sights that can be found in the natural world. New updates are posted Monday - Friday, with previous posts highlighted on the weekends. This series of posts is made possible thanks to the support of VMNH Corporate Partner Carter Bank & Trust (www.cbtcares.com).

NATURE PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS
If you discover something in nature that you would like help identifying, be sure to message us right here on Facebook with a picture (please include location and date of picture) and we'll have our experts help you identify it!