These little creatures actually are very ancient insects dating back to 250 million years. In comparison, we, the homo sapiens, data back a mere 300,000 years ago. So when you come across a grasshopper, do give it due respect, as the planet has been their homeland far far before we arrived.
It is lovely to see these tiny green insects at the Jurong Lake Garden. Brings back fond memories of childhood when kids captured grasshoppers and had competitions on which one could hop the furthest distance.
In a more aggressive swarms form, they become what we know as locusts. Universally hated for their savaging damage to crops and any green vegetation in their way, they are feared in historical texts and cave paintings for causing famines and forced human migration.
But humans do take grasshoppers as one of the few safe to eat insects, especially in Mexico and Indonesia. Grasshoppers are said to taste like shrimps, and are antioxidant-rich. We humans are indeed firmly at the top of the food chain.
