A photographer in northern England caught sight of an incredibly rare insect while testing out new camera gear in a nature reserve.
What's the Jam reported that Paul Cleasby was in the Oakenshaw Nature Reserve in County Durham when he caught sight of a shockingly pink grasshopper lurking in the grass.
He told the outlet, "I couldn't believe my luck — it really stood out among the green grass."
The grasshopper's fabulous coloring is caused by a genetic mutation called erythrism, which only occurs in females. According to an article by the BBC about a similar sighting in Wales, experts estimate a person has a less than 1% chance of ever seeing a pink grasshopper in the wild.
Aside from its intrinsic rarity, the odds are increased further by how short-lived they tend to be. That vibrant coloring makes it easy for the insect's many predators to spot it, but if they make it to the summer with flowers in bloom, their survival chances do improve.
A genetic mutation - called erythrism - can result in extremely rare pink grasshoppers, like this one which was pictured...
Posted by Durham Wildlife Trust on Friday 4 July 2025
Often considered an unwelcome pest, grasshoppers do have a valuable role to play in their native habitats. Grasshoppers are a key food source for many birds, mammals, and other insects. In appropriate numbers, they help cycle nutrients and fertilize the soil, and they can help control invasive plants.
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They're found in a variety of grasslands and are frequent guests in gardens. They much prefer native grasses to manicured lawns full of artificial pesticides and fertilizers. While the odds of spotting a pink aren't great, rewilding your yard with native flora may just tilt the odds in your favor. Be sure to keep a camera handy.
The strange encounter highlights the valuable role amateur photographers and trail cameras can play in conservation research. Erythrism is still relatively poorly understood, so any additional sighting can be invaluable in furthering the scholarship. The better our understanding of local wildlife, the more effective we can be in protecting it.
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