At the end of the summer I can come home on just about any sunny afternoon and startle several large flying insects out of the long grass that grows along the roadside. I have even driven down some of the smaller roads in our county and scared up hundreds of them. It’s pretty amazing watching them fly out of the grass in waves as you drive by. What are they, you ask. They are obscure bird grasshoppers, and they are one of the larger grasshopper species you will meet in the United States. They can range in size from one to three inches long, with the males being noticeably smaller than the females.

The obscure bird grasshopper can be found from Maryland south through Florida and west out into Arizona and New Mexico. They eat almost any kind of green plant and mainly live in wooded grasslands (which describes a lot of our area). They are related to crickets and katydids as well as to several species of grasshopper that can cause locust swarms. Luckily, obscure bird grasshoppers generally don’t swarm or over populate enough to cause any major plant damage. They are strong fliers, though, and they can go a considerable distance and up into trees when they are startled (that’s why they are called “bird” grasshoppers. In flight, they can look like small birds!). They are also able to migrate pretty long distances when it is necessary.

Obscure bird grasshoppers are very alert insects and they startle easily, which is why you can scare up waves of them on the small back roads. Their main defense mechanism is to fly away, but if caught, they can give a painful (but otherwise harmless) bite. They also have very powerful rear legs, and they will kick out and can draw blood with the spikes on those legs. Because of their habit of flying off, they tend to be difficult subjects to photograph. Over the years, I have tried many times without a lot of luck, but last fall I got lucky. I scared up the female in the photo above when I was walking down my driveway. She landed on the white gate and actually stayed there for a few seconds before flying off again. As you can see, she is quite a pretty thing with a striking yellow stripe down her back. If you are lucky enough to get to see one of these grasshoppers close up, don’t try to catch it, but just enjoy its beauty while you can.