Painted by Nature

Wli Falls, Ghana, 2006

A variegated grasshopper poses on a leaf near Wli Falls, Ghana. I found this colorful little grasshopper just outside our tent on a  September morning in 2006. Captivated by this little guys perfectly painted face, I spent more than an hour with a tripod and 100mm macro lens filling card after card with photos. Interestingly, beautiful as variegated grasshoppers may be, they're considered pests by many farmers in West and Central Africa. A pint-sized example of the conflict we often see as humans and nature compete to put food on the table.