Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
We're working to fix a technical issue causing problems with our broadcasts. We'll have it resolved as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Do you Hear the Grasshopper Which is at Your Feet?

James Woodcock

"Fieldnotes," September 15th & 16th, 2013: "Grasshoppers," by Leeann Drabenstott / Caroline Kurtz. http://www.montananaturalist.org/

"Males attract females with mating songs produced through a process called stridulation. A stridulatory peg on each of the hind legs is scraped against a raised vein on each forewing, creating a song or signal that is particular to each species. While grasshoppers are often considered destructive creatures, I prefer to think of them in the words of John Muir as "a crisp, electric spark of joy.""

Become a sustaining member for as low as $5/month
Make an annual or one-time donation to support MTPR
Pay an existing pledge or update your payment information
Related Content
  • "A gopher snake can be quite intimidating, especially when it imitates rattlesnake behavior.""On Earth Day I organized a trip to take students to a ranch…
  • "Fieldnotes," July 28th & 29, 2013: "Aphids," by John McCutcheon (read by Allison de Jong). http://www.montananaturalist.org/"Phloem sap is under positive…
  • "Fieldnotes," August 4th & 5th, 2013: "Wild Turkey Hierarchy," by Jim Giese (read by Allison de Jong). http://www.montananaturalist.org/"Once in the…
  • http://www.montananaturalist.org/"The fruit is the easiest way to tell huckleberries from unrelated plants. However, if no fruit is showing, the leaves…
  • "Fieldnotes," August 18th & 19th, 2013: "Beaver Dams," by Elizabeth Ann Straub. http://www.montananaturalist.org/"The headline of a Stony Point, NY…
  • "Fieldnotes," August 25th & 26th, 2013: "Wilson's Phalarope," by Nicole Schegg. http://www.montananaturalist.org/"Wilson's Phalaropes are the exception to…
  • "Fieldnotes," September 1st & 2nd, 2013: "Moss," by Erica Wetter. http://www.montananaturalist.org/"My eyes alighted on a spectacular patch of jade green…
  • "Fieldnotes," September 8th & 9th, 2013: "Mallard Sleep," written by Kassy Holzheimer, read by Nicole Schegg. http://www.montananaturalist.org/"Although…
  • "Fieldnotes," September 22nd & 23rd, 2013: "Glacial Lake Missoula," by Caroline Kurtz & Bruce Weide.http://www.montananaturalist.org/"Geologists estimate…
  • "Fieldnotes," September 29th & 30th, 2013: "Painted Lady Butterflies," by Byron Weber / Caroline Kurtz.http://www.montananaturalist.org/"I first knew…