During my first year as a restoration technician in the Borderlands Restoration Network Watershed Restoration Program, I became obsessed with taking photos of all the different kinds of grasshoppers I saw while out building erosion control structures. I never knew there were so many different types of all shapes and colors. But this wasn’t incredibly surprising — the Sky Islands are known for their unique and abundant diversity across all taxonomic groups, and these organisms interact to create the beautifully complicated and diverse ecosystems that we call home.
This diversity is largely due to the region's varied habitats, which range from arid deserts to riparian zones and mountainous areas. The different ecosystems provide various niches for grasshoppers, and each species has adapted to its specific habitat, showcasing remarkable evolutionary traits. For example, some species have developed specialized mouthparts to feed on tough desert plants, while others thrive in wetter, more vegetated areas, allowing them to exploit different food sources. There are several common families of grasshoppers that are distinguished by their body shape, like the slant-faced grasshoppers, spur-throated grasshoppers, and lubber grasshoppers (pictured below) who are generally so much larger that they are too big to fly or even hop long distances.
I have observed that grasshoppers exhibit a wide range of color and patterns throughout the Borderlands, from bright orange and blues to earthy browns and grays and tans. I learned that this diversity in coloration sometimes aids in camouflage against predators, and sometimes is used to attract mates. Some species display bright colors that can signal health and vitality to potential mates. Others, like the painted grasshopper, use their bright colors to warn off predators. During the nymph (or “juvenile”) stage, many grasshoppers exhibit cryptic coloration, blending seamlessly into their surroundings to avoid predation until they are sexually mature.
Grasshoppers serve as both herbivores and prey, making them essential components of their ecosystems. As herbivores, they help control plant growth and contribute to nutrient cycling. Grasshoppers are known to consume a variety of vegetation including grasses, leaves, and flowers, and their feeding habits can influence the composition of plant communities. By grazing on plants, they help promote growth and regeneration, as some plants can benefit from being pruned.
Grasshoppers are also a crucial food source for many animals including birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Their life cycle consists of several stages: egg, nymph, and adult. Nymphs, which resemble miniature adults, undergo a series of molts before reaching maturity. Similar to insects like butterflies, grasshoppers can have multiple instar stages, which is the period between molting. This staggered development allows them to be a consistent presence in the food web throughout the warmer months, providing a reliable food source for predators.
Although grasshoppers are adaptable, like most other creatures they face challenges from habitat loss, climate change, and pesticide use. Urban development and agricultural expansion can fragment their habitats, making it difficult for populations to thrive. Climate change and subsequent temperature and rainfall fluctuations can alter the timing of life cycle events such as mating and feeding, which may not align with the availability of food or suitable habitats.
Painted grasshoppers, or rainbow grasshoppers (Dactylotum bicolor) photographed at Borderlands Wildlife Preserve and Passage 5 of the Arizona Trail.
Conservation efforts aimed at preserving natural habitats and promoting biodiversity are essential for maintaining healthy grasshopper populations. Strategies may include creating protected areas, restoring native vegetation, and reducing pesticide use in agricultural practices. Citizen science projects can also encourage public involvement in monitoring grasshopper populations and their habitats.
It may seem unnecessary to think of needing to conserve such a small and seemingly abundant group of insects (especially when they are taking over your garden) but it is still important to consider the role they play in our ecosystem. Some grasshopper species can have outbreaks every 10 years or so when abundant resources and a lack of predation can result in an apocalyptic abundance of grasshoppers for a short period of time. But climate change and other human disturbances are affecting their life cycles and altering their population dynamics, which also impacts other organisms that interact with grasshoppers and perpetuates the destabilization of ecosystems.
While grasshoppers may be the reason only two tomatoes survived in your garden this year, their diversity not only enhances the region's ecological balance but also provides us with an opportunity to appreciate the smaller connections and beings within our environment. By understanding and protecting these remarkable insects, we can ensure that they continue to thrive in the Sky Islands — and I can keep taking a dozen photos of each one I see as we’re out restoring the landscape.
By far my favorite species is the panther-spotted grasshopper, which I saw for the first time a couple years ago while building structures in the Huachuca Mountains. I was immediately enamored with this beautiful little creature. I couldn’t believe something so small and strange looking could be so perfectly patterned. We see them in late August or September, only in the Huachucas, and only in canyons with long-leaf false goldeneye, and I look forward to it every year!
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