Order Orthoptera – Suborder Caelifera
Certain grasshoppers are called locusts, from the Latin word for grasshopper.
Only nine of 5,000 species of the suborder Caelifera make mass migrations, but when they do, they eat all vegetation in their path. There is the Old Testament plague of locusts descending on Egypt; in modern times trains have been delayed during locust migrations because the tracks were “slimy” from dead insects. Grasshopper Glacier in Montana is full of dead locusts. In the US in the 1870s, a single swarm was estimated to contain 124 billion insects.
1. Start with two small circles and a longer, rectangular shape for the head, thorax, and abdomen.
2. Draw the two front legs stretched out either side. Add details to the head, and antennae.
3. Add the second, short pair of legs pointing backwards, and the much longer rear legs. Draw short curved lines for the abdominal segments.
4. Carefully outline the wings.
5. Now add about a zillion little veins and cells. Take your time-it is worth it! Add shading and texture to the body.