Woman spots stunning pink grasshopper while on her lunch break walk: 'They're so rare'

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A woman went on what she thought would be an ordinary walk during her lunch break only to spot an incredibly rare insect. 

Leonie Verkerk, 33, was shocked to see a grasshopper that was a vivid shade of pink instead of the insect's typical green coloring. 

Verkerk, an asbestos survey administrator, at first thought the creature was a caterpillar due to its unique coloring. Once she got closer, though, she realized it was a grasshopper, SWNS reported. 

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The resident of Alvaston, Derby, England, told the British news service she had her sunglasses on and was walking when the insect caught her eye on the ground.

"I’m a bit of a nerd and I look for insects anyway, but when I saw it I thought it was a caterpillar at first," she recalled. 

Leonie Verkerk of the U.K. said she tried to pick up the uniquely colored insect — but it hopped off. (SWNS)

Verkerk said she was "shocked" to see it was really a grasshopper. 

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The chances of seeing a pink grasshopper in one's lifetime are thought to be roughly 1% — a statistic that Verkerk said she has heard before.

Verkerk, pictured above, said she knew the grasshoppers were rare as she had read about them. (SWNS)

"I knew they existed because I’d read something about them before, but it wasn’t until I googled [them that] I realized they’re so rare," she recalled to SWNS. 

The lunch break walker said she tried to pick up the insect, but it "hopped off."

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This is not the first time a rare pink grasshopper has been spotted in nature. 

Verkerk said she thought the insect was originally a caterpillar, but upon a closer look, she realized it was actually a grasshopper.  (SWNS)

An 8-year-old in Arkansas City, Kansas, spotted one in his family’s yard earlier this year — and kept it in a jar with access to leaves, food and water, according to reporting from John Shelman of The Cowley CourtierTraveler, a local news outlet. 

Pink grasshoppers have a rosy hue due to erythrism, a genetic mutation that results in the "overproduction of red pigment," according to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).

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Erythrism can result in the reddish appearance of hair, skin, fur, feathers and eggshells in mammals, avian animals and several other wild creatures, Encylopedia.com reported.

A 33-year-old was walking on her lunch break in the U.K. when she spotted a rare pink grasshopper on the ground.  (SWNS)

Pink grasshoppers have a hard time surviving long in the wild because their "vivid coloring" makes hiding from predators a more challenging task, according to the AMNH.

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Fox News Digital staff contributed to reporting. 

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