PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS

Cleared for takeoff on runway 3-w.

Cleared for takeoff on runway 3-w.

The day after Christmas they arrived. We had driven beneath a cloud of locusts on our return trip from Mayapan, 28 kilometers south of our home in Merida, on December 23. That encounter was brief. This one was a bit more dramatic and lasted longer – four hours for the majority, and more than a full day for stragglers.

Oddly, they didn’t eat much of anything in our yard. They covered our annona tree, but left the leaves untouched. But the neighbor’s banana tree was shredded. Our housekeeper recommends roasting and eating them. Last year we found them available as a topping for pizza!

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Hoppers decorate our annona tree.

 

Bite-sized: about three inches long.

Bite-sized: about three inches long.

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Skewered and roasted

They swam and pooped in our pool!

They swam and pooped in our pool!

What's left of the neighbor's banana tree.

What’s left of the neighbor’s banana tree.