A strange report came to the Ranger, Rob Smith, the other day of a pink grasshopper on the Pastures. This was followed up by a photograph of one on some rocks. What was this strange creature?

 Pink Grasshopper

We decided to investigate: reaching the area, Rob soon caught sight of one on the rocky area just below the grass. A thorough search produced several more specimens, together with some more normal green grasshoppers.

A trawl through the literature produced the answer - a common meadow grasshopper - (Chorthippus brunneus). Apparently it is quite common "in pink" and in various other shades, to match the dead grass in the lower vegetation -grey, brown, purple etc. This type of camouflage helps the insect to break up its outline, creating the perfect camouflage, until, that is, it jumps out on the rocks to sun itself!