Rocky mountain locust disappeared species fossil hunters. An example of the size of one swarm was the swarm that swept through nebraska in 1874. The story of the rocky mountain locust had this epic scale, of time and place and drama, that lent itself to an operatic treatment. This book tells the story of locusts, especially the rocky mountain locust. Firsthand accounts of the rocky mountain locust s horrific depredations are reproduced in the book, and lockwood adds his own vivid reconstructions. The 1874 swarm was estimated to be twice the square mileage of the state of colorado. The death of the super hopper high country news know the.
A century later, entomologist jeffrey lockwood vowed to discover why. In 1875, the residents of americas flyover country bore witness to something much, much more terrifying than pharaoh could have conceived. What this insect lacked in individual size it more than made up for in the size of its aggregations. A swarm of rocky mountain locusts streams overhead for five days. In the late 1800s, locust swarms destroyed farms in minnesota, nebraska, kansas, and the dakotas. In the 1930s, during the dust bowl, a second species of north american locust, the high plains locust dissosteira longipennis reached plague proportions in the american midwest. Once started, rocky mountain locust is a hard book to put down. Lockwood published in 2004, traces the history of locust plagues from early times, around the world and into modern times. Lockwood works into the book a wide range of information, including the biology of grasshoppers and locusts, the history and politics of the homestead era, and his and his colleagues expeditions to remote glaciers in the rocky mountains to collect rare specimens of the extinct locust, which had been preserved in ice. But there was perhaps no bust quite as biblical as the great rocky mountain locust swarms of the 1870s. Early on, the book crossed over into another area of my interests, climate change. The rocky mountain locust swarms were occasional and erratic.
Comparing the specimens lot number to a cuic log book, woo learned he had uncovered melanoplus spretus, the rocky mountain locust, an extinct pest that wreaked agricultural havoc 150 years ago. The outbreaks subsided in the 1890s, and then, suddenlyand mysteriouslythe rocky mountain locust vanished. Between irruptions, the population fell back to much smaller levels perhaps as few as 10 million locusts in areas along the eastern flanks of the rocky mountains. Riley thus proposed entomophagysimply put, eating the bugsas a way to reduce their numbers while nourishing hungry settlers.
The author approaches the story from several directions, from the purely scientific to. When bison started to disappear in the american west, so did the rocky mountain locust. The disappearance of the rocky mountain locust which once swarmed. Looking back at the days of the locust the new york times. However, the rocky mountain locust was also a generalist that consumed no fewer than 50 kinds of plants from more than a dozen different families, not to mention. Could a locust plague of biblical proportions occur in the u. Phil miller the rocky mountain locust was small by typical locust standards, with an adult body length of 20 to 35 mm, long wings that extended past the end of the abdomen, and the enlarged back legs common to most. This species of grasshopper maintained its permanent range in the rocky mountains, but when its population fluctuated, the rocky mountain locust expanded its range well into.
April 23, 2002 sweeping across north america, flying hordes of rocky mountain locusts were once an awesome and horrifying sight, huge glittering clouds of insects laying waste countless acres of crops. Sightings often placed their swarms in numbers far larger than any other locust species, with one famous sighting in 1875 estimated at 198,000 square miles 510,000 km 2 in size greater. Oct 05, 2016 comparing the specimens lot number to a cuic log book, woo learned he had uncovered melanoplus spretus, the rocky mountain locust, an extinct pest that wreaked agricultural havoc 150 years ago. After it became apparent that the rocky mountain locust was either extinct or monumentally dormant, scientists undertook to find the cause. The rocky mountain locust is actually a twoinch flying grasshopper, and for the majority of history was rarely more than a nuisance to regional farmers.
The disappearance of the rocky mountain locust twentyseven years after the largest locust swarm in recorded u. Betsy gaines quammens new book looks at the bundy family and religions connection to the western landscape. The rocky mountain locust swarms have the distinction of being described as the greatest concentration of animals ever by the guiness book of world records. Another theory involved alfalfa, which grasshoppers considered tasty. This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. Mar 23, 2020 what the massive locust swarm in africa and the middle east means to the us. In one year, 12 trillion locusts devastated the great plainsand then. A plague of locusts devours the western part of missouri.
The devastating rise and mysterious disappearance of the insect that shaped the american frontier basic books, 2004, jeffrey lockwood, professor of natural sciences and humanities at the university of wyoming, encounters the legacy of the rocky mountain locust in a variety of settings, from nineteenthcentury frontier. Includes the bit mentioned in the wiki, and briefly in the original post, about the option of eating locusts. The author approaches the story from several directions, from the purely scientific to human views of locusts. The rocky mountain locust in my research i found jeffrey lockwoods book locust, which is hard to put down even if you dont have a penchant for entomological thrillers. Like the andromeda strain, this book starts with the premise of a virus with apparently 100% lethality to humans. A compelling personal narrative drawing on historical accounts and modern. Even if you are tired of the genre, as i am, you will probably find this work both rewarding and highly original. The opera is an environmental murder mystery in which solving the centuryold extinction of an iconic species provides lessons for the modern world. In his 1877 book about the plague, riley celebrated how the locusts, when.
Biblical plague of locusts is swarming over italian farmlands. The opera tells the story of the rocky mountain locust melanoplus spretus, which formed a swarm covering nearly 200,000 square miles in 1875, was ripe for transformation into a commensurately grand form. What the massive locust swarm in africa and the middle east. Dec 11, 2009 the rocky mountain locust swarms were occasional and erratic.
The rocky mountain locust and the risks of known but forgotten. Individually, the grasshopper was scarcely noticeable. What the massive locust swarm in africa and the middle. Oct 06, 2016 comparing the specimens lot number to a cuic log book, woo learned he had uncovered melanoplus spretus, the rocky mountain locust, an extinct pest that wreaked agricultural havoc 150 years ago. In fact, in 1875, the largest locust cloud in world history was recorded over the midwest.
The ghost of the rocky mountain locust haunts a scientist until he can figure out how a creature that once blackened the skies of the west vanished. The rocky mountain locust melanoplus spretus is an extinct species of locust that ranged. In spite of the size of the 1874 swarm less than 300 specimens of the insects remain. However, during the 1800s, rocky mountain locust swarms periodically destroyed u. We acknowledge the financial support of the government of canada through the canada book fund and the canada council for the arts, and of the province of british columbia through the british columbia arts council and the book publishing tax credit. Locust is the story of how one insect shaped the history of the western united states. Sightings often placed their swarms in numbers far larger than any other species of locust, with one famed sighting in 1875 estimated at 198,000 square miles 510,000 km 2 in size greater. Lastmans astonishing postapocalypse novel, rocky mountain locust. Shop rocky mountain college apparel, textbooks, merchandise and gifts at the bears bookstore. Rocky mountain locust synonyms, rocky mountain locust pronunciation, rocky mountain locust translation, english dictionary definition of rocky mountain locust. The storyline is fastpaced, and thrilling, the commentary a sensitive and thoughtful discourse on 21st century life and times. The prairie had been going through a long drought, which created ideal conditions for the locusts to multiplyand to form gigantic swarms.
Entomologist jeffrey lockwood reports that the dna of specimens preserved in the ice of glaciers in the wind river range are like no. Others argued that it proceeded from changes in weather patterns or the decimation of the buffalo herds. The last sighting of a rocking mountain locust was in southern canada in 1902. And grasshoppers should not be mistaken for locusttheir behavior sets them apart. Apr 23, 2002 by the 1880s, the farming of corn, hay and wheat in the western states showed a nearly complete overlap with areas identified as the cradles of the rocky mountain locust. The rocky mountain locust swarms have the distinction of being described as the greatest concentration of animals ever by the guiness book. The rocky mountain locust was once dreaded by farmers who had unluckily planted their crops in the path of these planteating beasts. The rocky mountain locust melanoplus spretus is an extinct locust species that ranged through the western half of the united states and some western portions of canada until the end of the 19th century.
Nov 11, 2019 the rocky mountain locust was small by typical locust standards, with an adult body length of 20 to 35 mm, long wings that extended past the end of the abdomen, and the enlarged back legs common to most grasshoppers. Riley thus proposed entomophagysimply put, eating the bugsas a way to reduce. Could a locust plague of biblical proportions occur in the. Jul 16, 2018 when bison started to disappear in the american west, so did the rocky mountain locust. When the skies turned to black the locust plague of 1875.
Perhaps even more remarkable than the breathtaking scale of its outbreaks was its sudden disappearance, with the last living specimen being collected in 1902. Among them was the canadian entomologist norman criddle, who collected the last live specimens of the rocky mountain locust in 1902. The rocky mountain locust was formerly one of the most significant insect pests there, but it became extinct in 1902. They hold a place in the guiness book of world records as the greatest concentration of animals. Within a short span of hours, locust swarms could blow in and devour everything a farmer had. Opus i, trio a novel paperback october 27, 2014 by m. The insects descended by the trillions on the great plains, spreading over a vast portion of land from montana across to minnesota and down to texas. The damage caused by the rocky mountain locust in texas was less severe than that which occurred in regions farther north. Rocky mountain locust project gutenberg selfpublishing. Betsy gaines quammens new book looks at the bundy family and religions connection to.
Extinction of the rocky mountain locust bioscience. But there was perhaps no bust quite as biblical as the great rocky mountain locust. In the second half of the nineteenth century, both regions suffered. Extinction of the rocky mountain locust bioscience oxford. Rocky mountain locust the rocky mountain locust formed enormous swarms, possibly the largest known aggregations of any animal. Melanoplus spretus, the rocky mountain locust, was a stupendous force of nature. Mar 24, 2020 during the 1800s, rocky mountain locust swarms periodically destroyed u. Lockwood reveals the bizarre history of a bug responsible for killing countless settlers on the american plains.
Some thought it could be explained by the introduction of alfalfa crops not a locust favorite. Largest swarm the university of florida book of insect. Jan 01, 2005 the book is replete with odd facts and interesting characters involved in the locust story. Dec 05, 2017 more about the rocky mountain locust plagues at.
Rocky mountain locust wikimili, the free encyclopedia. This case explores conservation and social issues associated with the destruction of vast tracts of farmland in the great plains in the late 1800s caused by massive swarms of the rocky mountain locust, melanoplus spretus. In her book on the banks of plum creek, laura ingalls wilder recalls the. The swarm was estimated to contain several trillion locusts. But our story today is about an animal of mass destruction. Rmaba rmaba is an organization of used and rare book, map, and ephemera dealers in the rocky mountain west dedicated to stimulating book and paper collecting, promoting ethical trade in all areas of the business, and providing educational opportunities and outreach to the public in the field of collecting. Lastman is a retired music professor and professional musician who includes enjoying the.
The rocky mountain locust melanoplus spretus is an extinct species of locust that ranged through the western half of the united states and some western portions of canada until the end of the 19th century. A fictionalized description of the devastation created by rocky mountain locusts in the 1870s can be found in the 1937 novel on the banks of plum. Several avenues are available for members of the uva community needing library resources, including hathitrusts newlyreleased trove of ed digital material, open educational resources, online journals, databases, and e books. Sound scientific research, carried out over long periods of time by renown entomologists, finally traced the origins and demise of the rocky mountain locust. Briggs, in a 1934 article about grasshoppers in the dakotas, notes that.
Student discovers extinct plague locust specimens cornell. The last collection of a live rocky mountain locust was made 100. This species of grasshopper maintained its permanent range in the rocky mountains, but when its population fluctuated, the rocky mountain locust expanded its range well into the great plains. Rocky mountain locust swarms periodically destroyed u.
The insects descended by the trillions on the great plains, spreading over a vast portion of land from montana across to. And had scientific papers on that, and then maybe 15 years ago, i wrote a popular science book on the story of the rocky mountain locust, this incredible creature that once blackened the skies of the pioneers and then suddenly disappeared with the last living specimen caught in 1904. It was a perfect time for the locusts to multiply and form huge swarms. The devastating rise and mysterious disappearance of. During the 1800s, rocky mountain locust swarms periodically destroyed u. He offered descriptions of not only the legendary locust plague of 1875, but several other cycles throughout homesteaders history. It appears that the rocky mountain locust, went extinct at the turn of the 20th century. Kansas and nebraska, as well as the western portions of minnesota, iowa and missouri were the hardest hit by the invasion. Lastman is a fascinating and unique narrative of a postapocalyptic journey, explaining what remains when homo sapiens becomes virtually extinct due to a pandemic. The rocky mountain locust national center for case study. Lockwood examines the locust swarms that devastated europeanamerican agricultural operations in the central north american grassland and rocky mountains. Laura ingalls wilder and one of the greatest natural. Rocky mountain locust definition of rocky mountain locust. When melanoplus spretus, the rocky mountain grasshopper, periodically migrated to the valleys of the northern rocky mountain region, the swarms extended to.
Rocky mountain locust wikipedia republished wiki 2. Maybe bison somehow altered the grasslands to favor the survival of the locust. May 2004 while fossil evidence shows that the voracious rocky mountain locust was rampant in what is now north america as early as the 12th century, it didnt reach its peak of collective destructiveness there until the 1870s. Jul 01, 2019 however, by 1902, the rocky mountain locust had gone extinct, with scientists estimating that western farmers had begun cultivating the farmland that was home to rocky mountain locust eggs. Feb 16, 2017 t he american west is a land of booms and busts. The two species coexisted on the great plains for centuries. North america doesnt have one anymore, but it used to. Melanoplus spretus rocky mountain locust animal diversity web. Our leaping wonder belongs to the orthoptera awr thahp tuhr uh family along with katydids, crickets and locust.
The rocky mountain locust is only about an inch and a quarter long, so it wasnt the size of the locust that mattered. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages. The death of the super hopper high country news know. The death of the super hopper high country news know the west. But they ran into a problemthe destruction of their crops by massive swarms of the rocky mountain locust, melanoplus spretus. The kind of grasshopper that attacked the ingalls family was called a rocky mountain locust. The book is best when it stays closest to entomology.
The devastating rise and mysterious disappearance of the insect that shaped the american frontier, jeffrey a. Apr 18, 2010 looking back at the days of the locust by carol kaesuk yoon published. The devastating rise and mysterious disappearance of the insect that shaped the american frontier, published by basic books. He also weaves a mystery into the book, the disappearance and apparent extinction of the rocky mountain locust. Comparing the specimens lot number to a cuic log book, woo learned he had uncovered melanoplus spretus, the rocky mountain locust, an extinct. Every continent in the world has one or two species of plague locust, said woo. The mystery of the rocky mountain locust discover laura. The kind of grasshopper that attacked lauras family was called a rocky mountain locust. The rocky mountain locust had been observed ever since whites began to live in the region. Oct 03, 2018 the locust soprano cristin colvin and the scientist tenor todd teske onstage in locust. One farmer reported that the locusts seemed like a great white cloud, like a snowstorm, blocking out the sun like vapor. The rocky mountain locust once ran the american west. In the aggregate, however, it wielded immense power, as hinted at by the nomenclature.