Apparently they are common in the South and South Eastern USA. However I grew up in the northern climes and always knew about grasshoppers (they spit tobacco juice) and fly into the side of your head when you walk across a field. But when I moved to Florida in 1980, I was astonished at the size of the lubbers, as people called them.

Wiki comes up with several local names including "diablo" and "black diablo," Devil's Horse, Graveyard Grasshopper and Giant Locust in Mississippi. And of course researchers are always messing with the scientific names too:

FROM WIKI: "It was long known as Romalea microptera before being moved to guttata. However, after new research, the remaining names (including guttata) have been marked as nomina oblita and microptera takes priority once more."

Tip of the hat to dad for enhancing the photo, but the original resolution was amazing.