Only Nine Hundred and Ninety-nine More to Go!

  As I did chores inside the Little Bayou House, I could hear a familiar che-che-che of a grasshopper through the open windows.  While critter sounds are normally soothing to me, this one irritated me.  I knew what that critter was up to with that raspy noise!  Somewhere out there in amongst the jungle that I call a garden, a female Eastern Lubber Grasshopper was ready to do her thing and lay about a bazillion eggs. Somewhere out there, she was sitting there rubbing her little wings or legs or whatever together as she tried to call to a suitable mate. Somewhere out there trouble was brewing and it irritated me.  This action bothered me because I knew she was getting ready to spew eggs out into the soft soil and make millions of little ones come next spring. (Ok, so maybe not that many but it sure seems like it when they eat entire gardens.)

  I hurried to finish the chores so I could go on a grasshopper hunt.  I needed to get that big, old mama before she laid her eggs.  This would save me a lot of hassle come next April.  These old legs are getting tired of doing that "Grasshopper Stomp" dance for about three weeks come springtime.  Each female will lay about five "pods" that contain around fifty eggs. That is two hundred and fifty or so little plant-eating critters per each female.  Now go figure that there are probably a good thousand (or more) females hopping about the property and you can see why I am adamant about smacking each one I can find.  Problem is....those critters are good at hiding!

  This afternoon while on our hike, Mark and I found one fat female crawling up the side of the shed.  After her photo ops, she sadly (not!) met her demise.  That lessened my work in the spring at least a tad! Now to hunt down about another nine hundred and ninety-nine critters!