Hello, Young Lubbers

I am a mild-mannered person, soft-hearted and gentle. I love the creatures of the earth, even the black snake that scares me occasionally as it darts into the bushes in my yard. I can remember when I used to find worms on my tomato plants that I would take and lay in the middle of the road in order to give them a fighting chance for survival. However, lately I have been seen stalking the yard with a pair of garden clippers usually used for cutting back weeds and such. I am not looking for weeds to snip. I am, in fact, seeking a large yellow and black grasshopper called the lubber. I cannot remember ever seeing these huge insects before last year when I caught one gnawing on an amaryllis bulb after it had decimated the leaves of the plant. I was horrified. Killing something this big is like killing a squirrel. Nevertheless, I feel no compunction about sentencing these lubbers to the death clippers. I hope lubber season is over soon as I don’t relish continuing to scan my yard for these hungry critters that bring out the killer instinct in me.