Bradford P. Ward  -  Children's Book Author
  • Welcome
    • From the Author
  • Parents and Teachers
    • Pre-Reading Activities
    • S.T.E.M. Activity Ideas and S.T.E.M. Education >
      • S.T.E.M. Activities to Complement Cockroach of Meadowfield >
        • Stop Motion Animation
        • Design an Insect Trap
        • Making Bug Robots
        • Pollination Project
    • Reading Activities for: 'A Pilgrimage of Pests' >
      • The Brownings
      • The Great Cold
      • The Warming Times
    • Reading Activities for: "The Great Cicada Ball" >
      • Deadlines
      • The Gates Open
      • The Finale
    • Reading Activities for "Heroes of Meadowfield" >
      • Search Parties
      • The Loomers
      • Revolution
    • The Moth Catcher: Cryptic Coloration
    • Metamorphosis Activity
    • Insect Picture Library
    • Mapping Meadowfield
  • Young Reader Pages
    • Bug Games to Play
    • A Pilgrimage of Pests >
      • Worker 1200
      • Cockroach
      • Silverfish
      • Praying Mantis
      • Glowworm
      • Old Yellow Fat
      • Stinkbug
      • Grand-Daddy Long Legs
      • Book Louse
      • Acorn Weevil
    • The Great Cicada Ball >
      • Water Strider
      • Gypsy Moth Caterpillar
      • Stag Beetle
      • Robber Fly
      • Luna Moth
      • Earwig
      • Goliath Beetle
      • Ra
      • Dung Beetle
      • Periodical Cicada
    • Heroes of Meadowfield >
      • Forager Bee
      • Bombardier Beetle
      • Scout Bee
      • Cicada Killer Wasp
      • Queen Bee
      • The Hive
  • Windward ArtWorks
    • Available Sconces 4/24
    • Framed Sea Glass Pictures
    • Ceramic Plant Sconces >
      • Cone Sconce Style Large
      • Cone Sconce Style Small
      • Round Sconce Style Large
      • Round Sconce Style Small
  • Brad's Blog

Lubber Grasshopper

Nearly 3 inches in length, the Lubber grasshopper is large and colorful.  Its yellow and orange color patterns warn predators of its distasteful flavor. Its wings are too small for flight so it relies  on rather poor jumping skills.  Most of the time it just crawls around.
Like all members of the order Orthoptera, they undergo incomplete metamorphosis, changing from egg, to nymph to adult; the nymph looking very similar to the adult form.

    artwork by Bradford P Ward
Picture
The Waterboatmen races on Meadow Pond are managed by a grasshopper who everyone just calls, Old Yellow Fat.  We first meet him in Chapter 4 of A Pilgrimage of Pests.  Perched atop a slimy, old gnarled stick in the middle of the pond, Old Yellow Fat calls every race (with great enthusiasm I might add).

Old Yellow Fat runs the races with honesty and pride and no one, not even the arrogant ants that always crowd along the shoreline, can find fault with his ability to organize the event.

Like everyone else, he is already making plans for the Great Cicada Emergence Ball.  He plans to organize the greatest races Meadowfield has ever witnessed.  You can read all about it in the trilogy's second book, The Great Cicada Ball.


Eastern Lubber Grasshopper quietly munching away.
Back To Pilgrimage Homepage
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.