The meadow grasshopper, Pseudochorthippus parallelus, is a common insect found in various grassland environments. This species thrives across well-vegetated areas of Europe and parts of Asia. A close relative, Chorthippus curtipennis, is prevalent throughout western and northern North America, including parts of Canada. Its presence is a familiar sign of summer, contributing to the soundscapes of meadows and pastures.
Identifying the Meadow Grasshopper
Meadow grasshoppers have several distinct physical characteristics. They are small to medium-sized, with males 1.2-2.0 cm and females 2.0-3.5 cm long. While often green, they can also be brown, purplish, orange, or even pink, colors which are genetically determined.
Wing length is a distinguishing feature: females have short forewings that do not reach the abdomen’s end, while males have longer wings that may extend past it. Both sexes have short, stout antennae and hearing organs (tympana) at the base of their abdomen. The most reliable identification is their unique stridulation, a rhythmic “rrrr” sound. They produce this by rubbing their hind legs against their forewings, aided by stridulatory pegs on the femur.
Where They Live and What They Eat
Meadow grasshoppers prefer habitats rich in tall, lush grasses, such as damp pastures, meadows, hayfields, and roadsides. They also live in swales, mountain meadows up to elevations of 11,000 feet, and the edges of marshes, lakes, and ponds, where abundant vegetation provides food and cover.
They are herbivores, primarily feeding on grasses and sedges. Their diet can include species like Idaho fescue, western needlegrass, elk sedge, little bluestem, big bluestem, and Kentucky bluegrass. Adults climb plants to chew on leaf edges, often consuming a significant portion before moving on. They sometimes hold severed leaf sections with their front legs to continue eating.
Life Cycle and Daily Habits
Meadow grasshopper eggs are laid in late summer or autumn, typically in a protective pod in the soil. These eggs overwinter in a resting state called diapause, hatching the following spring. In colder mountain meadows, hatching can take up to three years. Young grasshoppers, called nymphs, emerge after hatching.
Nymphs undergo four to five molting stages (instars) as they grow and develop wings, a process taking about 30 days in warm temperatures. By June, nymphs mature into winged adults. Meadow grasshoppers are diurnal, active during the day, especially as temperatures rise. They are agile jumpers, often evading predators by hopping and dropping to crawl away under vegetation. They rest near the tops of grasses.
Its Place in the Ecosystem
The meadow grasshopper plays a role in its ecosystem as a herbivore. As primary consumers, they convert plant matter into energy, influencing vegetation structure and nutrient cycling. Their feeding habits, including fecal pellets and plant clippings, aid decomposition, returning nutrients to the soil more quickly than decaying plant matter alone.
Beyond their role as consumers, meadow grasshoppers are a food source for many predators. Birds, small mammals (like coyotes and rodents), reptiles, amphibians, spiders, and other insect predators eat grasshoppers. For instance, grasshoppers can make up a significant portion (up to 80%) of the diet for nestling grassland birds, demonstrating their contribution to the food web and grassland biodiversity.