a super-sized surprize insect...

...is what greeted me on the path

i was minding my own business - enjoying bees, ladybugs and the like - hoping beyond hope for that illusive dragonfly to appear since i still haven't captured one this summer - when suddenly in the weedy grasses - i'm startled half out of my wits - by this huge insect - in all its orangey coloredness - eyeing me straight on, too! it took every ounce of my being not to yelp out loud, people - because let me tell you - i am not an insect kind of gal!! nosireebob... not really - i just sort of fake it most of the time - i have developed a growing affection for some - like bees and of course i adore butterflys and ladybugs - they're cute! but for the most part, other kinds of insects can be rather ugly - a bit creepy - so i go along for the ride - photography has helped me with being fascinated for sure...

but this critter - what is it? a grasshopper? i'm not certain... aren't they green? this is decidedly not green - it's orange! i haven't done anything to this photo - what you're seeing - is what i saw - it's directly out of the camera - no color altering, no cropping - no saturating - no nada... i wanted you all to help with identifying this thing - oh, plus it's big! about 2 inches in length maybe a bit more - i mean, huge! i almost feel a shudder coming on - but it got the best of me - i found myself staring back at it - and it didn't move the whole time i snapped away - a good minute or so - just clung to the grass -

so it ended up outranking the cute ladybug i found and even the damsel i shot - go figure - i guess that makes for...

a

happy day.....