While exploring a glade in Missouri, I found a couple of these intricately marked insects that I had never seen before. This is a large, heavy bodied grasshopper that feeds primarily on short grasses, especially Bluegrass and Japanese Brome.
This species inhabits prairies, pastures, open woodlands, roadsides, alfalfa fields, and almost any grassy area within its geographic range. Unlike other grasshoppers, it is most commonly found in areas with dense grass. Its pattern helps to conceal it when it hides in tangles of vegetation.
The Wrinkled Grasshopper occurs across the eastern two-thirds of the United States, as far west as southwest Montana, eastern Wyoming, and Colorado, and southward into Mexico. It is absent in Canada, New England, and the Great Lakes states.
This is one of those creatures with a common name that seems a bit “off”. The “wrinkled” name came from the species name that was in use at the time, but not quite interpreted right. That species name actually referred to the roughened, sometimes ridged upper surface of the insect’s back. In reality, this is one of the smoothest and least “wrinkled” of the Band-winged Grasshoppers.
Wrinkled Grasshoppers overwinter as eggs. Adults are mostly seen in July or August into October or November in much of their range, and sometimes through Winter in the southernmost part of their range. When flying, its hind wings display yellow, orange, red, or pink with a dark curved band running around outer edge and with a dark spur from this band near the front margin of the wing.
Males are usually active, alert, and difficult to approach or catch. Females are powerful fliers as well, but may rely on camouflage instead of trying to escape, taking to the air only as a last resort. Wrinkled Grasshoppers were indeed a fun find with on my trip to the Midwest.