Subject: Is this a grasshopper?
Location: Lake Havasu, AZ
April 20, 2015 7:23 pm
This looks like a grasshopper but I can’t find anything green with the white stripes.
Signature: Sharon Thompson
Dear Sharon,
Though it is in the same insect order as a Grasshopper, this female Creosote Bush Katydid, Insara covilleae, like other members of its suborder, has much longer antennae than a Grasshopper. The Sonoran Desert Naturalist has this to say about the Creosote Bush Katydid and its host plant: “Creosote Bush, however, offers unique challenges to herbivores, for example the high content of coating resin and other antifeeding phytochemicals. The leaves are tough and leathery while often having a very low moisture content. Also it presents a unique pattern of colors and textures. Many insects that have become adapted to feed on creosote bush have evolved color patterns to match. Even naturalists may give up searching bushes for this common insect before finding it. Like many katydids, this one often comes to lights where they are easily seen.”