Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: Grasshoppers?, 1 by hill5422

hill5422 wrote:
I agree with both lines of thought - grasshoppers out of control are so bad they are one of the biblical plagues (a locust is a migratory grasshopper), while grasshoppers in the garden in reasonable numbers are like the caterpillars - they eat, but they also bring diversity and interest. I have some scans from a few years back of Texas grasshoppers if you would like to see:
http://stephenville.tamu.edu/~fmitchel/insects/grasshop.htm

Predators in my yard, aside from me, are English sparrows and cardinals. Both are quite voracious and the cardinals will pursue grasshoppers into the underbrush. The attached picture is of a robber fly that nailed a pretty large grasshopper. This image is making the rounds on the internet right now and I hope the photographer, whoever he or she may be, does not mind me posting it.

Mostly grasshoppers are vegetarians, but they are also opportunistic in that if they get a chance to eat a little protein in the form of another insect, they will. This is usually something that has already died and they are just scavenging, but not always. There are a couple of big Neobarrettia katydids that are carnivores. See:
http://buzz.ifas.ufl.edu/g331a.htm
which contains the statement: "These katydids do not necessarily retreat when molested and will assume a threating pose with bright wings flared, mandibles opened wide, and spiny forelegs raised high. If given the opportunity, they may attack and draw blood--not your average katydid!" Distribution maps and the calls of these can be found at:
http://buzz.ifas.ufl.edu/331a.htm
and
http://buzz.ifas.ufl.edu/332a.htm
This website, the Singing Insects of North America, is truly incredible (to a bugologist anyway!) and if you would like to know whose song you are hearing, you can likely find it here:
http://buzz.ifas.ufl.edu/

FM