This afternoon, I heard a gentle “ping” on my iPhone. My sister, Maj, had sent me a photo.

Maj’s Grasshopper, August 13, 2014, Vancouver, B.C., photo credit Maj L. Yee

It turns out, it was on the front passenger seat of their car while her son, Jonah, was driving around their environs. They were five minutes into their journey when they noticed the bright harlequin green hitchhiker perched on the right passenger mirror.  It looked drenched but none the worse for wear. It hung on for the next thirty minutes of the ride.  Mind you, they were in the heart of Vancouver, so it’s not as though they were driving on a Grand Theft Auto game or something. By the time they arrived at their destination, it simply hopped off and was on its merry way!

Great shot!

P.S. Based on my quick search here and here, this is likely a grasshopper. But, could it be a cricket or a katydid? I’m no entomologist.