Hesperotettix speciosus, the western green grasshopper, is an attractive, uniformly colored grasshopper,
that is normally green though some individuals are tinged with red or purple. It is
a heavy bodied, short winged grasshopper with red antennae. It inhabits weedy areas
where it feeds on broadleaf plants, particularly sunflower. Eggs overwinter in the
soil and hatch in the spring. Adults are present from mid-July to mid-September. Because
of its uncommon occurrence and its preference for weedy forbs, it is unlikely to be
a pest of Wyoming rangeland, and may be considered beneficial.
Ref: Pfadt 1981, and Capinera and Sechrist 1982.
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