Rare pink grasshopper Valentine’s gift to museum
By Bronwyn Turner
Correspondent
Published February 20, 2010
Ronnie McLaughlin IV, 7, of Santa Fe, found this pink grasshopper in his yard. It now lives at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, where it will be studied. Photo by Erin Mills, Houston Museum of Natural Science.
SANTA FE — Ronnie McLaughlin IV, a budding entomologist only 7 years old, was routinely searching out crawling creatures when he made a backyard find so rare it will go on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
Ronnie found a pink grasshopper on Valentine’s Day. He named the inch-long insect “Love Bug” and placed it in the terrarium in his room.
When his mother, Kelly McLaughlin, contacted the museum, she got an enthusiastic return call from entomologist Erin Mills.
“I was so excited when I heard about them finding a pink grasshopper,” Mills said. “It’s just one of those kind of cool, mysterious things about nature that a lot of scientists don’t quite understand. So it’s a really cool thing to stumble upon around your home.”
Mills, one of two entomologists at the museum, never has seen a pink grasshopper in her years working with insects.
“It’s a genetic mutation where they have not enough of one pigment, or too much of one type of pigment,” she said. “Pink grasshoppers are not totally rare, but they are unusual. It’s kind of lucky if you come across one.”
In the insect containment room, the pink grasshopper was contentedly surveying a meal of romaine lettuce.
She (or he — it’s too soon to tell) already has gone through one molt, which means the young grasshopper is growing.
Mills hopes to surround Love Bug with a stress-free environment, through more molts and, in a few months, adulthood.
She phones the McLaughlins at their Santa Fe home to give updates and is writing a blog on the insect’s progress.
“Anything can happen with a bug,” Mills said. “Probably her biggest challenge right now is making it through all of her molts and getting to be an adult.
“They have to shed a whole skin. It can be a bit touchy.”
Mills has high hopes for Love Bug. The entomologists could follow the example of the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans where pink katydids (a relative of grasshoppers) have been bred and put on display.
Love Bug would not necessarily have to have a pink mate in order to produce pink offspring.
“There is a possibility those genes could be carried over to the next generation,” Mills said. “I’d like to have pink grasshoppers on display all the time. It would be awesome.”
In the meantime, Ronnie will be on the lookout for another pink sighting. He is autistic, home-schooled as part of an intensive home therapy program. One of his strongest interests is bugs.
“We told her (Mills) we would keep checking our backyard,” said McLaughlin, who also home-schools Ronnie’s younger brother, Connor.
“She said, ‘Who knows? You might have a hot spot.’”
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Information
Houston Museum of Natural Science, www.hmns.org, 1 Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, houses several exhibits, including the Brown Hall of Entomology and the Cockrell Butterfly Center. Upcoming events this spring include a butterfly garden plant sale and an Adopt A Butterfly release. To follow Mills’ blog on the pink grasshopper, go to http://blog.hmns.org.
I was so elated to read a positive human-interest story for a change! On top of that, it was positive involving an autistic child. My heart filled with warmth and happiness! It hit close to home because I home-schooled my autistic son a few years back and we used to do such things like incorporating outings into a learning experience/field trip. I felt pride for the mom, but more for the child! I am thinking about taking my kids to the museum to see the pink grasshopper… as my own little “tribute” to Ronnie (the child). We need to see more of these positive things in the news to educate people that autism is not like a “black plague” or a curse to be avoided, but something to be embraced and help these children. And its important to show that they are not stupid like so many people think!
Ok, so I was sitting there at the table looking at all my craft stuff. And since I am not feeling so great, I wanted to not move too much… so what could I do? I got it! I can make some visors… I have foam and fabric, etc. in front of me. So let’s got to town!
Craft Idea of the Day: Fabric Covered Visors (From original post 12-23-09)
You can buy those foam visors at the hobby stores for like a buck or you can make your own at home. You have to make sure the foam is thick/stiff enough to keep form. The visor only requires a small amount of fabric, so it’s a fairly inexpensive craft to make. It’s a great way to use up scraps of material you just can’t bear to throw away! Simply cut a fabric piece in the shape of the visor. You can do both sides, or just one… your choice. I use spray adhesive to attach it to the visor to hold it in place. Then I line the edges with bias tape and sew it on. That’s it… a cute visor in any theme you want!
Pictured is a music one completed… along with about 13 others that have the fabric already glued on. Breast Cancer, sports, autism, you name it… LOL, you could really make one for every outfit you have!
Well it looks like I might finally have to break down and go to the dentist this coming week as this tooth in the back is keeping me in a lot of pain and from eating as well. BUT my glands look swollen as well so I need to get to the doctor first and get that cleared up! Isn’t this fun!? It’s kinda like a sick game of “which hurts worse?” LOL…
Ok, so I am sitting here in the quiet writing my blog right? Well I keep hearing a thumping and other little noises coming from my back porch, so I just stood up and looked out the window and do you know what I see? MORE baby kitties! OMG they are tiny! They are smaller than all the others. Patchlet, which is one of the strays from when I originally moved into this house, must have had her litter under the tarp covering some of the things on the back porch. Well all the thumping and rustling I heard was 2 of the kittens playing and wrestling! They are so cute! With the zoom on my ancient camera, I was able to snap a picture of one as it was jumping around LOL! I saw at least 3 more… which brings the running total of outside kitties to 18! WOW… my pack is growing every day! As a ever-vigilant MEOM LMAO… I have to make sure they are taken care of. So, guess who will be out there in a little while making sure they have plenty of food and water to survive. I don’t care… I love it. LOL.
Now you know what really bites? The fact that I am very hungry and it hurts to eat even soup… but everyone else has to eat So, what do I make them for supper… hmm… this looks delish! Think I’ll make this again for everyone.
Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
Ingredients
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed low sodium cream of chicken soup
1 (1 ounce) packet dry au jus mix
3/4 cup water
Directions
In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, onion soup mix, bread crumbs, and milk using your hands. Shape into 8 patties.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the patties in flour just to coat, and quickly brown on both sides in the hot skillet. Place browned patties into the slow cooker stacking alternately like a pyramid. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soup, au jus mix, and water. Pour over the meat. Cook on the Low setting for 4 or 5 hours, until ground beef is well done.
Serve this with some mashed potatoes and use the gravy on them, along with a veggie of some kind… YUMMY!!!!! I may try to eat it because I know its so good and just take some Advil to help the pain LOL. It’s worth it! Ok kids, I’mma get off here for the day and go tend to some kitties… then I may lay back down as I’m not feeling too hot still… so until tomorrow… HUGS!
