Grasshopper Plans at the Cricket Field

The Field Crew's Report

A community cricket field has grassy edges outside the playing area. Grasshoppers feed on grasses and other plants. Grass also gives them places to hide. The west and east edges both had tall grass at the start of summer. The field crew wanted more room for players to collect balls.

The crew cut the whole west edge short each week. They left the east edge tall. They counted grasshoppers before mowing began and again after four weeks. For each count period, they walked the same length of each edge for ten minutes on three dry mornings. The graph shows the total seen. They counted sightings, so the same grasshopper might appear on more than one morning. The weather was similar during both periods.

Next, the crew tested three plans on equal-sized sections of the west edge. Short Grass kept the whole section short. Grass Patches left tall patches beyond a clear band. Tall Border left a wide area of tall grass close to the playing area. Staff maintained the sections for four weeks, then used the same three-morning counting method.

The crew set two goals. A plan should have at least 14 grasshopper sightings in its test. It should also leave a clear band at least 3 meters wide beside the playing area for players to collect balls. Short Grass and Grass Patches each left a 3-meter clear band. Tall Border left a 1-meter clear band. The crew needed to compare the results before choosing a plan.