Bug of the Week: Grasshopper Drawing

Do you remember last week when I wrote that the grasshopper in the photograph inspired me to want to draw it?

Well, I did:

Unfortunately it did not scan well. However, drawing it allowed me to really see a number of details I had previously missed.

For example, take a look at the hind (jumping) leg. The segment that would be our thigh is called the femur in insects. Do you see the circular area at the top where the femur connects to the tibia (the area that would be our knee)? It is white and looks like a flange in the photograph. I wondered what that was when I was drawing it.

Checking out how grasshopper legs work, I found the authors had called it “the lump” at first, but if you keep reading by hitting the next arrows at the bottom, you will find out it is called the semi-lunar process and it is important for jumping. Basically it forms part of a catapult that shoots the grasshopper forward.  I highly recommend taking a look at the website. There are some very cool physics are involved, and even animations to show the legs working.

Have you drawn anything this week? What did you discover?

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Don’t forget, National Moth Week is coming up July 20-28, 2013. We’ll be going crazy for moths all next week!