Grasshopper Houses
 Grasshopper Weeds (Click image for larger view.) |
When I went to collect the post from the postbox, I noticed the front garden of the house across the street was covered in grasshopper weeds. I have no idea the correct name for these plants. When I was a child, we called them grasshopper weeds and we would collect the scapes to make grasshopper houses. It was one of the things we use to do for fun in the summer as we played outdoors. We would play outside in the evenings collecting fireflies and building grasshopper houses and Mum would have to call us in several times before we obeyed. Sometimes it would be almost pitch black outside before we reluctantly went back inside.
 Grasshopper Houses (Click image for larger view.) |
It was easy to make the grasshopper houses. We would gather a handful of the scapes and when we decided we had enough, we would bend up either side of the bundle. We would then take a scape and wrap it around the top of the folded bundle tying it with a simple knot. Once the top was secured, we would spread out the base of the grasshopper house. I did not take as much care building my grasshopper house as I did as a child. Once we had the grasshopper house built, we would place it back in the grasshopper weeds for some lucky grasshopper to find and move in. As a child I had fun doing some of the simplest of things; I wonder if any children today build grasshopper houses?
5 comments
*moves in*
*adjusts ventilation*
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 
Great story, I seriously today any children are building grasshopper houses!
What a shame they miss the great simple things in life! 
This is the only place Ifound on internet that had this! My boyfriend, brother, his girlfriend and I were sitting outside yesterday waiting for a storm to come through and we were shooting these grasshopper weedsat each other. M and my brother showed them how to do it and told them our Papa showed us how to. Then I remembered using the same weeds for grasshopper houses that he taught us how to do, also, but I could not think of how to make it. I remembered how to place it on my fingers and start it, but that’snall I remembered. My boyfriend asked me what shaped it was, but i was thinkin square not trapezoid. Anyway, I just knew I had to look it up. I do’t have kids yet, but when I do I want to show them. Thank you so much for this, and thanks for the flower background also. I have a morning glory tattoo on my thigh for my Papa because he is the reason they are my favorite flower so I thought that was ironic in a very good way. I miss him so much and he died when I was in the 7th grade, so this is bitter/sweet for me and I love it. No matter how many years and how many tears I love every thought that reminds me of him. 
Yes, I remember making the shooters as well. You use a grasshopper weed as the “gun” and you pull another grasshopper weed through it and the head pops off and goes flying towards your target. 
I did a google search for ‘grasshopper house’ wondering if there would be a pic of these on the web. My Grandmother taught me to make these back in the 1970’s. I miss her and those simpler times very much. This post has 13 feedbacks awaiting moderation...