One of my favorite sounds of summer is the grasshoppers. They are not considered a good looking creature and can be an annoyance to many people but nothing says summer like the sound of a grasshopper, at least to me. Thinking about that sound helped me pick out the highlighted document for this week-Guide to the Grasshoppers of Wisconsin. This booklet has everything from maps to diagrams and pictures. There is a breakdown of species with a description, habitat, where the are located and much more! If you've never looked closely as a grasshopper, you might be surprised at home many different species there are and how different they look from each other. Everyone seems to blend into his environment but they come in many shades of green, brown, grey or a combination of different colors.
By going through this document, I learned which type of grasshoppers I was probably hearing. By studying the maps that come with the species account, I discovered which ones lived in my part of the state. However, the part I most enjoyed reading was a poem by John Keats. "...That is the Grasshopper's-he takes the lead/In summer luxury, -he has never done/With his delights; for when tired out with fun/He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed..."
You can find Guide to the Grasshoppers of Wisconsin in the Wisconsin Document collection with the sudoc. number WI NAT. 6/2: G 67/2005. This item is available for check out.