Melanoplus differentialis
Drees
The Differential
Grasshopper is one of many common grasshopper species in our
area. This hopper grows up to 1
3/4 inches long. It is a shiny
brownish-yellow with yellow or red antennae. The hind legs
are yellow with black chevrons (v-shapes). Differential Grasshoppers
live in fields,
open woods, and edges of ponds, streams, and
lakes. Mark O'Brien, University
of Michigan Museum of Zoology Like most grasshoppers,
Differential Grasshoppers eat many different types of
plants, including: grasses,
weeds,
crops, clover, and fruits. These grasshoppers do not
migrate
in the Winter like some other species do. Differential Grasshoppers
breed
in late Summer and early Fall. Females press long egg masses
(1 inch long) down into the soil near some weeds. A female
grasshopper may lay up to eight egg masses, with about 25
eggs in each. Eggs hatch the following
Spring. Baby grasshoppers do not look like adults, and they
are called nymphs.
Nymphs will eat and grow, shedding their skins as they get
older. Each time a hopper sheds its skin (molts),
it will look a little more like an adult.
After six molts, the nymph will finally be an adult
grasshopper. It takes a month and a
half to two months for a nymph to develop into an
adult.
