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A closer look · Insect guide

Grasshoppers

Orthoptera — short-horned grasshoppers

Grasshoppers are familiar plant-feeding insects of fields and grassy edges. Several species occur in North American farmland.

What do grasshoppers eat?

Many feed on grasses or broadleaf plants. Their chewing can remove leaf tissue; the plants eaten vary among species.

What is a grasshopper nymph?

A nymph is an immature grasshopper. It grows through a series of molts before reaching adulthood.

Why can numbers change from place to place?

Food availability and population density affect where grasshoppers feed. During outbreaks they may move from depleted hatching areas into nearby crops.

Try one observation

Observe from the edge of a path. Record the plant or ground surface where an insect lands after a jump, without chasing it.

Observe without handling or collecting. These clues are a starting point, not a confirmed identification.

Source & further reading

University of Minnesota Extension — Grasshoppers in Minnesota soybean

Published . Short introductory summary; consult the source for detail and regional context.

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