Most grasshoppers are not overly appealing (except of course to the birds, reptiles and mammals that feast on them). Indeed, hordes of grasshoppers can destroy crops or gardens and may even produce a slippery mess when they turn up in cities (see Grasshoppers invade Las Vegas). Then there is their habit of spitting "tobacco" in your hand, a fact that I learned as an adventurous kid.
But this afternoon, while sitting on the porch, I encountered a tiny grasshopper with extremely long antennae. It was a lesser meadow katydid, identified by its size (less than a half inch long), its bright green color with a rusty spine stripe, its very long antennae and its long, thin legs; females have a pointed abdomen that serves as an ovipositor. Like other grasshoppers, it feeds on a wide variety of grasses and other plants but it's too damn cute not to like; besides, it's also known to consume the eggs of some "harmful" insects.
Meadow katydids are found across the globe, preferring warm, humid grasslands. Apparently, our front lawn qualifies in that regard.
