Jumping grasshopper

A grasshopper kicks up a pebble as it leaps into the air from a resting spot along a country road near Roseburg, Ore., on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012.  Grasshoppers are considered one of nature's best athletes with the ability to jump up to 20 times their body length.  A human jumping at the same hop-to- length ratio could clear a five-story building or bound the length of a football field in three jumps. Photo shot with a shutter speed of 1/8000th of a second.

At a slightly slower shutter speed the grasshopper has more blur.

I had many, many misses and near misses while shooting the grasshoppers.  I actually like this shot with the debris flying.

My grasshopper photo made it into the Pictures of the Day gallery (along with president Obama) on Zumapress.com.

The New York Post picked up the grasshopper shot in their Weekly Animals gallery.