A green grasshopper nymph
Click for greater clarity.
On December 17th I found this tiny grasshopper nymph on the blade of a twistleaf yucca, Yucca rupicola. I’m not sure, but the insect may be Chortophaga viridifasciata, the northern green-striped grasshopper. I am certain of the location: the right-of-way beneath the power lines to the west of Morado Circle in my Great Hills part of Austin.
© 2013 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Awww, he’s cute :). Great macro shot!!
photosfromtheloonybin
December 29, 2013 at 5:58 AM
Thanks, Cindy. This was a tiny grasshopper, so I was glad to be able to get close.
Steve Schwartzman
December 29, 2013 at 8:16 AM
What a cute y
sedge808
December 29, 2013 at 6:14 AM
Both you and Cindy (in the previous comment) are acute observers.
Steve Schwartzman
December 29, 2013 at 8:36 AM
It makes me think of a jade Chinese sculpture. Nice color and hair detail.
Jim in IA
December 29, 2013 at 7:35 AM
It’s clever of you to liken the grasshopper’s pale green to sculpted jade. Like you, I noticed the small hairs, and I keep wondering if they serve any purpose; perhaps an entomologist will chime in and tell us.
Steve Schwartzman
December 29, 2013 at 8:39 AM
OMG! Steve! He is so cute! Looks like he should be a cuddly stuffed animal for little kids (or adults who haven’t grown up!). A wonderful, amazing photograph!
Brenda Jones
December 29, 2013 at 7:50 AM
Make that three out of four for cute, Brenda. You’re welcome to make a stuffed animal like this if you know how to; if you do, please send us a picture.
Steve Schwartzman
December 29, 2013 at 9:14 AM
OMGosh, what a wondrous little creature in every detail.
georgettesullinsg
December 29, 2013 at 8:54 AM
This blog began in June of 2011, and until today there had been only five OMGs among the thousands of comments. Now suddenly there are two in a row. It took this little grasshopper to make that happen.
Steve Schwartzman
December 29, 2013 at 9:18 AM
Aw, man, he blinked. (nudge nudge wink wink, great shot!)
Dash McCallen
December 29, 2013 at 8:17 PM
I’m glad you appreciate this shot.
Steve Schwartzman
December 29, 2013 at 8:25 PM
That is just plain great photography, love the detail you captured.
Charlie@Seattle Trekker
December 29, 2013 at 10:19 PM
Thanks for the compliment, Charlie. This little grasshopper had a lot of texture, so I’m happy that my macro lens was up to the task of recording it.
Steve Schwartzman
December 29, 2013 at 10:41 PM
What great DOF. I love the big head.
Maria
December 30, 2013 at 6:28 PM
The body enlarges at an approximately steady rate from back to front, so the head certainly dominates. The grasshopper was small and I had to put my lens near it, so I was thankful at such a close distance to get as much of the body in focus as I did; the shallow depth of field was good for suppressing the background.
Steve Schwartzman
December 30, 2013 at 10:27 PM
He looks for all the world as though he’s taking a nap – or at least relaxing, with one leg hanging over the edge of the leaf. The color is beautiful – like a celadon glaze. What a handsome creature.
shoreacres
December 30, 2013 at 8:32 PM
I can report that this little grasshopper was aware of me and did move around a bit on the yucca leaf as I maneuvered for position with my camera, but luckily the nymph stayed around long enough for me to take a series of pictures. The texture and the pale greenish color both drew me in.
Steve Schwartzman
December 30, 2013 at 10:31 PM
This is one I bookmarked especially, too, and as I don’t see it asked or answered (though I may have missed it), the burning question of the hour is how tiny?
Susan Scheid
January 3, 2014 at 5:15 PM
My guess is about half an inch, maybe a trifle more. That’s smaller than most grasshoppers I’ve ever photographed, so I was pleased to get as much in focus as I did.
Steve Schwartzman
January 3, 2014 at 5:21 PM