Hopper

A very fast and late session at the common today, it was a quick in and out, as yesterdays efforts in the late morning sun took their toll and now my face is doing a fairly respectable impersonation of a red tomato. This quite took me by surprise as I thought my face were used to the sun, but I guess fair skinned ex-ginger heads never really get used to the sun. No big deal, but wearing a bandana to protect my bald head, has left me looking rather silly.

Now that literally half the area of the common has been trimmed down to the wood, the concentration of hoppers has significantly increased, as the population migrated to the half still supporting a mop of grasses. With every step, several hoppers leap into the air, sometimes in such numbers that they cannot be counted.

There are still a few small mimosa bushes remaining in the lower half of the field, but these are single stem affairs of about two feet square and do not have the attracting powers that the giant mimosa bush had with it's 12ft x 20ft x 7ft high dimensions.

I spotted today's offering clinging to a grass stem, struggling to balance as it buckled and swayed under the weight of this three inch monster. Hoppers are quite approachable, as long as you do not make any sudden movements.

Over the last few months, I have photographed a huge number of hoppers, but have never really been happy with the results. It is hard not to produce a plain, side view, catalogue image because of the photographic problems presented. It is essential to get the eyes in focus, you want the legs and the length of the body, so this only leaves you with the side view as a viable option.

In this experiment, I have kept the eyes and face details and merely hinted at the legs and the length of the body, but you are left in no doubt that this is a sizeable insect. I am very happy with the result.

Looking at this creatures face, I wonder how clued up is the science of insects, as there seem to be a number of sensors on display. Apart from the compound eyes and the antennae, there are two small nodules just above the antennae and a central hole half way down the face. These are common features that I have noticed on the larger hoppers. I will have to pay more attention to the smaller varieties, as the features will be harder to spot. I haven't researched any of this, merely just writing down my thoughts.

Another intriguing feature often overlooked, is the two pairs of little legs around the mouth. It is clear to see where the science fiction writers take their inspiration.

Dave