“Just thought it was a normal grasshopper that we didn’t have in Ohio, so the first thing I thought of was [that would make great] fishing bait,” said Dirk Parker, an environmental inspector for pipelines who spotted something striking as he walked through nature — a bright pink grasshopper.
Parker said he took some photos of the pink grasshopper and returned the insect where he found it. He didn’t think about it too much until later that night, he Googled it and found out that his sighting was quite rare. With the new information, he went back to the same spot the next day to try and find the rare creature.
“I wanted to share this with the world,” said Parker. “It’s so cool to get to show people.” Parker placed Pinky, as the insect’s been named, in a small habitat until he found the proper location to place it. He also clarified that he did not hold Pinky, the pink grasshopper, captive.
Image credit: Dirk Parker