UGH!

  With the waning of summer, all things wild are preparing for the coming winter.  Critters know when to "fatten up" for the leaner times. They, also, know that time is short for those who will not survive until the next spring.  This is especially true with insects.  Most have an innate ability to discern that their life is nigh on over but the species will carry on.  At least the species will survive if, and only if, the current generation does its best to reproduce.  The end of summer brings that urgent need to mate and lay eggs.  This frantic time was quite evident today.

  Mark and I often take hikes about the Bayou just to see how things are doing.  It matters not what season nor does it matter that we have no definite route.  We are just out enjoying life around us.  The hike today took us down to the persimmon trees.  These are doing well and we now have a nice grove starting to spring up from seeds that dropped from the older tree.  The ground here is sand.  Hurricane Katrina washed a good bit of sand from the beach onto our property.  Mark smoothed this over to make a nice addition to the hillside. Grass is just starting to cover the sand but patches of grit can still be seem peeping through the blades of green.  While we were walking on this sort of private wannabe beach, we noticed a good many of the Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers had chosen the area as their nursery.  It is here that the egg cases will ride over winter until the spring.  Then the little critters will hatch making the entire area seem black.  The grasshoppers hatch red but turn black quickly in the heat of the sun.  Thousands upon thousands of the critters will swarm about the space making quick work of any bit of greenery.

  The panic mode of the grasshoppers was strong.  Males were frantically seeking out any available female.  Sometimes this frenzy led to some chaotic mating.  One female could be viciously attacked by many males.  Many die because of this.  Not that I am unduly concerned over the grasshoppers that perish, I just find it strange.  What good is it if the female perishes.  No eggs shall be laid which sort of defeats the purpose.  

  With the number of grasshoppers that were out today, I have a feeling that next spring will see me doing the "Grasshopper Dance" more often.