New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff

Walking through a sea of crickets and grasshoppers.

Sunday 08/06/2006

August truly belongs to the insect world in NH. I got together with long-time friend and neighbor Rick for an evening walk into Bear Brook State Park with our two dogs. As usual early evening turned into late evening then into night as we ambled along stopping here and there along the Suncook River and Bear Brook itself.

As we traversed a small field in the early evening I noted waves of juvenile grasshoppers flinging themselves out of our paths as we entered the field. Kind of like wading into a pool of water that sends waves out into the pond, only in this case it was waves of life rippling out before us.

This explosion of life is timed just perfectly in nature. It is now that juvenile grouse, turkeys, crows, ravens, foxes and coyotes are making their own solitary advance into life on their own. Crickets and grasshoppers are exploding from the very earth itself providing an abundance of high protein food. Life is good for them and these critters are in a race to grow, though they individually don't know it. But they must find food, grow and learn to hunt for their own survival before the first frost graduates them into a much tougher life as it erases the easy living of late summer. Then only the strongest and most adaptable will survive.

As darkness fell, the cadence of the chirping crickets gained in intensity. Though never visible in the darkness, their presence almost is overwhelming. It seemed like every shrub and grass cluster was alive with crickets. Their throbbing sound drowns out all others. It is a wondrous time of year for a late night hike. And so 9 became 10 and on past midnight as we gleaned the life from around us in the warm summer's night. All my life I have enjoyed the night as much, or even more, than day. Most wildlife is far more active after dark. To connect to them you must adapt to their schedule. I love the woods in the night. Just like a wild animal you must use every body sense to gauge your surroundings from how the ground feels when you plant a paw...foot, to the sense of a spider web cascading across your face. Life is so much realer in the black woods of night.