see link

ken

EDIT: read my first link.. all inns/B&Bs across the country ... hopefully this one is better... perhaps fall coloration ...

Here is a link that might be useful: link

This post was edited by ken_adrian on Thu, Oct 9, 14 at 17:53

I don's see the resemblance. This one is bigger, double the length. The environmental part (hot, harsh, dry) fits, but the walking and the flight colors don't match.

I was curious so I googled that and found an insect that looks a lot like the one in your picture. The lighting isn't as good, but I think this might be it.

"These grasshoppers feed on a wide variety of plants including desert annuals and foliage of perennial shrubs, including mesquite."

Here is a link that might be useful: Horse Lubber Grasshopper

What does it eat? Anything it wants.

Never seen any coloration like that before. Great photo. We get 2-3" hoppers here in Phoenix but nothing close to those colors that I've seen. Impressive creature.

Does seem like a Horse Lubber Grasshopper. Wonder if their color can change depending on what they eat?

It's a grasshopper so yes, it eats your plants.

You might want to capture a few and run them down to the Pima Co. Cooperative Extension for ID. The fact that nobody here is sure what they are may mean it is a new invasive for Tucson (oh joy).

Great shot BTW!

I am now wondering if these are the same critters we saw on a recent trip to Bisbee and back to Phoenix - the whole drive from Tucson on had these GIANT black grasshoppers crawling across the road. Large enough to at first think they were a large spider or black scorpion at first but after spotting so many we soon realized what they really were!

at least 2.5 inches long with THICK bodies - I didn't see a single one take flight, as they were all around town in Bisbee and you could practically kick them across the road and they wouldn't fly!

Nasty - I can imagine they'd do a real number once munching on a plant!