October 3, 2021

This is a Rusty Bird Grasshopper

But grasshoppers can be hard to ID

Click on the link below for

A handy grasshopper Identification key.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://bioone.org/journals/florida-entomologist/volume-87/issue-4/0015-4040_2004_087_0537_KTTGOA_2.0.CO_2/KEY-TO-THE-GRASSHOPPERS-ORTHOPTERA-ACRIDIDAE-OF-FLORIDA/10.1653/0015-4040(2004)087[0537:KTTGOA]2.0.CO;2.full?tab=ArticleLink

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 26, 2019

Location: Melbourne, Ponce de Leon Landing

I am a Rusty Bird Grasshopper
You can find me on sand dunes or the beach
I am closely related to the Schistocerca alutacea,
But our boundaries rarely get breached.

Sources: Species Schistocerca rubiginosa - Rusty Bird Grasshopper

Photo and text © 2018 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

November 29, 2018

Location: Okeechobee, Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park

I am a Schistocerca rubiginosa,
But Rusty Bird Grasshopper is easier to say.
I am spotted on my forewings,
And my color varies from reddish-brown to grey.

Sources: BugGuide - Species Schistocerca rubiginosa - Rusty Bird Grasshopper

Photo and text © 2018 Dee Fairbanks Simpson