The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
10-year-old ‘bug expert’ makes rare find
Pink grasshopper lands in good hands with fourth grader.
Like many 10-year-olds, Madeline Landecker is fascinated by insects. At her family’s small farm near Little Rock, Arkansas, she enjoys watching ants and ladybugs and using a net to capture butterflies.
Her friends in the fourth grade call her the “bug expert,” she said.
So when Madeline spotted a flash of bright pink on the ground after looking in on her chickens after school March 14, she stooped down to get a closer look.
“I saw that it was something really special,” she said. “A pink grasshopper.”
Madeline’s father, Tony Landecker, had read her a news story a year ago about the rarity of pink grasshoppers, she said.
“You don’t usually get a chance to see a pink grasshopper,” she said.
She gently scooped up the hot pink and green insect and noticed it was missing a leg. She decided to hold onto it and study it.
“I like taking in bugs when they’re injured so they can rest until they feel better, then I let them go,” Madeline said.
She carefully carried the grasshopper over to show her dad and her little brother Levi, 8.
“I couldn’t believe she’d actually found one,” her father said.
Landecker quickly snapped a few photos of his daughter with the pink hopper so Madeline
could send them to her mom, Bridget Landecker, who was out of town.
“I named her Millie, because I’m pretty sure she’s a girl,” Madeline said. “I’ve studied what male and female grasshoppers look like.”
She put the rose-colored insect in a terrarium with plenty of prairie grass to eat, then went in search of a friend to keep the grasshopper company.
“I found a smaller brown and black grasshopper and named it Billie,” she said. “I thought they could be good friends.”
The next day, Madeline said
she took Millie to school in a bug carrier to show her off.
“Some kids were scared of her, and some of the teachers too,” she said. “Some people just don’t like bugs. But I’ve always been interested in them.”
Her dad alerted local television station KARK about the grasshopper, and Madeline was soon showing off Millie on the evening news.
“I basically catch all kinds of things, and I was happy to show people Millie,” she said.
Although pink grasshoppers aren’t commonly seen, they aren’t as rare as people might think, said Hojun Song, an entomology professor at Texas A&M University.
People in Pennsylvania and Texas made headlines last year for seeing one.
“What is rare is these pink insects surviving to adulthood, because they are more conspicuous to predators compared to normal green or brown [grasshoppers] which are more cryptic,” Song said.
The pink hoppers have a condition called erythrism — a genetic mutation that causes overproduction of red pigment, he said, noting that because the insects aren’t well camouflaged, they’re more likely to be eaten.
The average life span for a grasshopper is about two months, but they can survive for a couple of years in terrariums.
“I’m not ready to release her yet, because I want to study her some more and do research,” Madeline said.
Bridget Landecker said her daughter has always enjoyed looking under rocks and poking around creeks to observe the natural world.
“She’s always been drawn to the outdoors and is really dedicated to all of her animals,” Bridget said.
Madeline and her brother care for two dogs, two cats, a rabbit and nine chickens at home, and they run a small egg stand, she said.
Madeline said she’s already formed an attachment to her tiniest pet. She said Millie stays on her hand and rarely jumps off while her parents snap quick pictures.
“I’ve had a lot of practice holding bugs, so she feels comfortable with me,” she said.
Madeline said she took Millie with her to the family cabin for a few days during spring break to give the grasshopper a change of scenery.
“I love the cabin because I catch sucker fishes with a black net by myself, and I also catch a bunch of crawdads and minnows,” she said. “Later this week, I’ll be going crystal hunting.”
She’ll leave Millie at home in her warm terrarium for that expedition.
“If I could, I would keep her forever,” Madeline said.