I’ve always thought that camouflage is one of the more intriguing aspects of the natural world.  It’s one of the easiest ways for me to visualize natural selection working – genetic mutations that occasionally (but extremely rarely) lead to changes in color and/or shape that make individuals harder to see in their environment, which increases their survival, etc… 

But aside from that, I just love finding new examples of insects, especially, that are unbelievably good at blending in with their surroundings.

A grasshopper sits camouflaged against a Platte River sandbar in Nebraska.

This grasshopper photo was taken on a sandbar in the Platte River adjacent to one of our prairies near Kearney, Nebraska.  I first saw it as it flew away from my feet, but when it landed it disappeared.  I didn’t see it again until it flew once more as I walked toward it.  With camera and tripod in hand, I proceeded to follow it along the sandbar, trying to sneak up on it each time it landed.  It’s hard enough to sneak up on something when you can see it, but it’s incredibly difficult when you don’t know exactly where your quarry is.  Let’s just say I’m glad no one was watching me do it…

I finally succeeded in spotting it and edging my tripod close enough to get a photo or two before it flew away one last time.  It’s become one of my favorite photos because of my memories of the chase and because of the amazingly good match between the grasshopper’s patterns and the sand behind it – even down to the little specks of red in both.