Thursday, July 14, 2016

Good camouflage

At the high tide line on Oyster Bay, the ground is mostly gravel or grey sand. Below, there's drying, and stinking, seaweed; above, a wide barrier of driftwood. This afternoon, I was walking along this bare stretch in the middle, and every now and then something flickered in the gravel. When I looked, there was nothing there.

Until the stone I happened to be looking at suddenly up and left, and then landed on a frazzled fir cone. And now I could see it.

Grey and green grasshopper, gravel coloured.

I took photos from where I was, then, moving slowly, sat down on the stones to get a closer view. Of course, it leapt away. And try as I might, knowing it was within a metre or so, I could not see any sign of it.

It was about an inch and a bit long. I haven't been able to identify it. GPS coordinates: 49.897914, -125.149469.
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3 comments:

  1. Tim10:46 am

    I spent years collecting and chasing around grasshoppers as a kid. Not only is the colour variation of the banded wings and camouflaging amazing, the behaviour of the males of some species (such as the one above) of hovering over a spot in the heat of summer, and cracking their wings to attract mates, would be a tantalizing target for any kid.

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  2. Susannah Anderson11:05 am

    That's amazing! I didn't know they could hover; I thought they only jumped.

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  3. Powell River Books9:19 pm

    He better get back to the gray sand and pebbles or something might pick him off for lunch. - Margy

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