The differential grasshopper is the largest economically important species. It is 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 inches long, yellowish, with brown and black markings and distinct chevron-like black markings on the hind legs. The adults of migratory and red-legged grasshoppers are about 1 inch long--reddish-brown above and yellow beneath, with red-tinged hind legs. The nymphs are wingless, but otherwise resemble the adults. The elongated, brown-to-orange eggs (glued together in masses) form a pod in uncultivated soil,usually 1 to 2 inches below the surface. The differential grasshoppers winter as eggs and do not appear as adults until summer.