Everyone is familiar with grasshoppers, but you might not realize how fascinating they can be. Maine has some 35 species of grasshoppers, and while some are exceedingly common, others require a lot of effort to find. You might need to hike up to a remote mountaintop or visit a sand dune! In this presentation I will cover some basic grasshopper biology and taxonomy, and then take a look at all of the species you're likely to see in Maine.

Brandon Woo

joined MES when he was quite young, and has developed a strong fascination in insect taxonomy and natural history due in large part to the MES field days and bioblitzes. While in high school he worked on a project involving the grasshoppers of Mozambique, where he further honed his interests in the insect order Orthoptera. He earned a B.S. from Cornell University in 2020 and is currently pursuing a PhD at Texas A&M University, focusing on pygmy mole cricket systematics. He contributes actively to citizen/community science websites such as BugGuide and iNaturalist - if you've posted a photo of a grasshopper to either of those websites, it's likely that he has seen your photo! Although his main focus is on grasshoppers and crickets, he considers himself an all-around naturalist and is interested in any and all taxonomic groups, from birds to plants.