Paddy and Grasshoppers

稲に穂が付き田んぼの様子もだんだん秋になってきました。未だ気温は暑いですが。 この写真を撮った日に無事に全ての調査を終え一息ついているところです。この後稲刈り機が入れる地盤を作るため水が抜かれて水生生物は姿を消します。(本当は水を抜かず調査を続けたいところですが。) ここ2週間ほどでコバネイナゴ成虫の個体数が一気に増えたようです。非常に田んぼらしい生き物の一つです。ここ庄内にはイナゴを佃煮にして食べる文化があります。今年は自分で作ってみようかなと思っています。

The ears of the rice have begun to appear and the looks are turning into becoming autumn. But the temperature is still hot. On the day when this picture was taken, all the investigations were completed and I am taking a break. After this, water is drained out to make the ground for the combine harvester to enter, and aquatic organisms disappear. (To be honest, I wanna continue the survey without draining the water.) It seems that the population of adult grasshoppers(Oxya yezoensis) increased in the last two weeks or so. It is one of the very typical creatures of the rice field. Here in Shonai, there is a culture of eating grasshoppers in food boiled in soy sauce. I'm thinking of catching many it this year and making them myself to eat.