Last week I was in the closest thing Europe has to a desert. This already feels like a distant memory, but being hit in the face by a relative of this guy - the desert locust - was not a forgettable experience.
This image wasn’t taken in the desert but in Norfolk! Given that these creatures are infamous for devouring crops this is probably an unwelcome visit from this non-native species, but a great shot nonetheless.
Have you had any close encounters with foreign beasties on your hols?
You can browse our online archive for more photographs on a massive range of natural subjects at rspb-images.com
Thank you for your response. And for the Blog
Reports of locusts in the UK are very rare. Some people keep them as pets or food for other animals which may be where this chap has come from. However the climate here is too cold for them to breed and it won't survive the winter (as you hypothesized) so for now we don't have to worry about a full scale invasion from these guys. Thanks for your comment!
Just so long as this one doesn't breed! Dear ob dear. don't know quite how to react. I blame the Victorians for such a lot of things but modern travel ...... it's a lovely image but, no, I can't welcome this little chap. Will the winter kill it?