Orthopterans have chewing mouth parts in the adult and immature stages. They undergo gradual development passing through egg, nymph and adult stages in their life cycle. Most Orthoptera have two pairs of wings. The forewings (front wings) are a leathery texture and are called tegmina. The hindwings are large and fan-like, and folded beneath the tegmina when not in use. Most orthopterans have thread-like (filiform) antennae.

 

Family Acrididae
(short-horned grasshoppers)

This family includes most of the brown or grayish grasshoppers that are so common in meadows and along roadsides from mid summer until fall. They are plant feeders, and can be destructive to vegetation. Most species pass the winter in the egg stage, the eggs being laid in the ground. Many males of this group sing during the day by rubbing their legs against the wings or by loudly snapping their hind wings in flight. There are six species of grasshoppers in northwestern Ontario of which a common one is the band winged grasshopper.