Scientists found a new species of grasshopper on a friend’s farm in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee. His farm was clearcut for years, having been a tree farm. When he saw it, he wondered if it was possible to bring back native savannah, restoring the vegetation and with it wildlife. There are a number of naming conventions for new species and this one now bears his last name and that of the scientist who found it: Melanoplus lindemanni Hill. Not as cool as Grasshopper George, but still cool. I have always found bugs interesting. On trips to the Galapagos, the Amazon and Costa Rica, I convinced the guides to take me out at night to photograph them. In researching grasshoppers, though I found a story about a parasite that infects grasshoppers making them jump into water and commit suicide by chemically influencing its brain. Bad parasite! It’s a work. On many levels, I say. Oh my. Grasshopper gaslighting on an epic scale.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7927-parasites-brainwash-grasshoppers-into-death-dive