AN unusual insect has been discovered in a garden in Wallisdown.

Irene Foster, aged 74, first saw a pink grasshopper on Tuesday, July 21 after she finished watering her garden.

Since that day, she has seen a pink grasshopper twice in different areas of her garden.

Irene said: “This grasshopper is very rare. It hopped around in front of me three times and stuck with me for a while. I think the same grasshopper came back again the next Tuesday and the Tuesday after. I lost my husband in April this year, so I like to think that he sent me a nice present.”

Unlike normal grasshoppers which can blend into their surroundings due to being green, brown or a combination of the two, pink grasshoppers rarely make it into adulthood because of their distinctive colouring.

Their distinctive appearance makes them an easy target for predators and only a few make it to adulthood.

Irene is excited at the prospect of spotting another pink grasshopper when she returns to her front garden.

She said: “They’re so bright a bird could definitely see it. It’s like if you saw a UFO, that’s what it felt like. I was in shock when I first saw the grasshopper, I couldn’t believe it.

“It is lovely to sit on the bench in my front garden and watch them.”