Plains Lubber No1 - Laura Gillis

Jiminy Cricket! That is one big honkin’ grasshopper!

Ink and watercolor in the Moleskine Bug Journal

This is the Plains Lubber Grasshopper. And, yes, he really is THAT big. The body is almost 2 inches long. His thorax is .5 an inch wide and .5 an inch deep. Add those big, long legs and this guy makes an impression when he comes at you.

I found two of these bad boys munching on grass in the pasture the other day. There seems to be quite a bit of variation in the coloring on the Lubbers -- I loved the pink and green on this one.

I wonder how much grass this guy can consume in one day, or in his lifetime? I would think a few of these put together would do some serious damage to a pasture already stressed by drought. How many Lubbers equal the consumption of one mama cow? I bet somebody has done a study on that somewhere.

In the meantime, I will keep drawing them. This makes page 30 in the “Bug Journal” and there are still lots of bugs out there. 

Sunday's sketch

Sunday's sketch
Originally uploaded by vickylw

A few days ago I saw this grasshopper sitting on a trellis next to our porch; the sun was so bright, the grasshopper's features were hidden in an odd transparency.

I quickly snapped a photo and sketched it in my sketchbook yesterday while it rained. I could almost feel the warmth again.

Dainty Sulphur by Laura GIllis

Back to the bugs.... a Dainty Sulphur butterfly finishes off page 19 of the Bug Journal.

Ink & Watercolor in the Moleskine Watercolor Journal

Plein aire Quick Sketches - Teri Casper

Some quick sketches from life around me.

The grasshopper was such an iridescent green, it grabbed my attention the minute I saw it.

The lower one was done while sitting at the lake.