Big bug!

Inspired by Sueño’s truly fabulous dragonfly on Wednesday, I have been taking a closer look at the local insect life – because we really do have some spectacular bugs down here!

This lady (and I reckon she must be a lady because she was well over 6cm long and girl grasshoppers tend to be way bigger than the boys!) is an Egyptian Grasshopper (anacridium aegyptium), distinguished by their amazing striped eyes, the orange strip on their pronotum (the shield like cover behind their head) and their sheer size (fully grown girls tend to be between 6cm and 7cm long!).

This one stayed obligingly still for her photo, but I think she might have been a bit dazed because when I first spotted her she leapt off the ground and whacked herself on a rocky overhang... Because she was so still (I was really worried for a minute or two…), I was able to get a pretty good shot of her whole body from above, but I preferred this angle because it allows you to appreciate her startling eyes.

To my great relief, the big girl finally gathered herself and hopped away, but she then leapt onto a wet rock and slipped off into a fast flowing stream! I was convinced she’d drowned, but she somehow managed to get out, much to my relief once again! I’d hate to think I’d scared her enough to jump to her death – twice!

Big girl as she is, she's probably best viewed large!