Grasshopper

Hundreds of grasshopper cadavers in various stages disintegration clinging to plant stems aren't a macabre Halloween decoration. They are the handiwork of Summit Disease.

While checking on the status of goldenrod bloom in a park in southwest Ohio yesterday, I kept finding myself surrounded by hordes of hop happy grasshoppers and katydids.  Each step that I took launched hundreds.

During our BYGL Inservice call this past Tuesday; Pam Bennett (Clark County) and Amy Stone (Lucas County) reported observing high grasshopper populations in southwest and northwest Ohio, respectively.  This is the time of year when most grasshoppers are still nymphs which may make identification a challenge.  However, the four most common grasshopper species found in Ohio landscapes include the Differential Grasshopper (Melanoplus differentialis), Red-Legged Grasshopper (M. femurrubrum), Green-Legged Grasshopper (M. viridipes), and the Carolina Locust (Dissosteira...