As I walked along the path, I saw an insect spread its black and yellow wings in flight. It veered sideways and fluttered into the tall grasses. I peered closer and saw it clinging to a dry branch. It was a grasshopper.
They littered the path and jumped out of the way as I approached. They wouldn't let me get too close. As soon as I was within a couple of feet from them, they took off in flight or hopped out of the way.
Interestingly, I saw that there were some smaller ones. These small ones were not so shy and let me approach them a bit closer. I slowly crept upon one and cupping my hand, I trapped it underneath. It hopped in the dome of my hand, so I closed my fingers and held it. Then when I opened my fingers, it squirmed and hopped until it escaped my grasp.
As a kid, I loved catching grasshoppers. I spent hours chasing them and trapping them. I loved to look closely at the different limbs, their speckled eyes, and smooth abdomen. Each one was different and seemed to me like a robotic marvel. I would release them unharmed, naturally.
I wondered if the larger brown grasshoppers with the black-yellow wings were a different species or sex than their smaller counterpart. My question was soon answered further down the path when I came across what looked like an amorous pair.
Incredibly, no matter how close I got to the randy hoppers, they did not jump away. Instead they remained still in their throbbing coital bliss (cue the 70s porn music).
Insects, according to the latest account, make up 80% of all known animal species. Their numbers, variety, and complexity is second to none as far as survival is concerned. Later, I found out that these particular grasshoppers were of the Carolina species variety. As I suspected from the compromising copulating position, the female was the larger (brown-coloured) specimen with the black-yellow wings. The smaller (gray) male was in the process of transferring his spermatophore into the female by means of his "quite pronounced" aedeagus. According to Wikipedia, the Carolina grasshoppers like dirt paths where they can camouflage while taking in the sun. I can corroborate that this is the case. The insects covered the entire length of the path that ran for miles along the grasslands. No matter how hard I tried, I could not spot them until I saw them jump in front of me. Excellent camouflage.
It wasn't long before I was reminded about the transitory nature of things. I came across a couple of wasps feasting on the carcass of a grasshopper. When I got closer to take photographs, one of the wasps stayed away, but the other one was not so reserved and kept on devouring the remains.
I wish I could say that I learned an important lesson about impermanence. All things transform into other things, and this process is as natural as copulation. But I won't lie to you, I was horrified to see the wasps feeding on the body. Holy smokes! Nature is a harsh mistress and teaches her lessons whether you like them or not.
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