RIGHT: This bizarrely coloured grasshopper is believed to have a genetic mutation (Pic: Martin Rogers)METRO REPORTER - 13th September, 2010
This bright pink grasshopper is enough to make anyone jump – and it wasn’t spotted in the jungles of Borneo or Brazil but in Buckinghamshire.
The 2.5cm (1in) insect was found in the Rushbed Woods nature reserve and its neon colouring is believed to stem from a genetic mutation in its reproductive cycle.
‘My daughter Nicola saw it first,’ said walker Martin Rogers.
‘She squealed, “Look, that flower is moving” as it jumped between the red flowers – presumably for camouflage.’
The sighting of the attractive-looking bug follows sightings of a similarly coloured insect at a Devon nature reserve.
Visitors to the reserve were taking part in a nature trail when they came across the pink lady (grasshopper).
Daniel Tate, 11-years-old at the time, said: 'I was really excited to hear that no one else had found a pink grasshopper at that place before.'
Fraser Rush, nature reserves officer for East Devon District Council, said: 'There are millions of common green grasshoppers but I have never seen a pink one.
'The female comes in a variety of colours, normally different shades of green and brown. Occasionally it tends towards purple, but this is a leap beyond that to pink.'
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/840731-bright-pink-grasshopper-spotted-in-buckinghamshire
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