I came across this beast a couple of weeks ago, whilst hunting fruitlessly for Adonis Blues on the grassy slopes above Radnage village. I was surprised to bump into a friend whom I had not seen for some time, also searching for butterflies. Confidently claiming that he could hear a Great Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima singing above the hum of Meadow and Field Grasshoppers he set about tracking one down and soon found one clinging to a tangle of grass stems. Grudgingly, I had to admit to being rather impressed! It was a good lesson in the importance of learning the songs of Grasshoppers and Crickets if you want to find and identify them. Frustratingly, it took me ages to tune in to the loud, high pitched song, especially as high above us two Red Kites were screaming furiously as they harried and chased a Common Buzzard. At about 5 centimetres long the Great Green Bush-cricket is Britain's largest insect and is found sporadically throughout the south on rough grassland, overgrown scrub and hedgerows. The stridulation (song) of the this vivid green cricket sounds like a sewing machine or maybe a bicycle free-wheeling downhill and can be heard up to 50 metres away, but is ventriloquial, making the insect frustratingly difficult to track down. The Great Green Bush-cricket is a poor flier and relies on excellent camouflage and an impressive jump of up to a metre to escape danger. It also has a fierce bite and is quite capable of drawing blood!
Great Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima - Radnage ( 01/08/2011)
Great Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima - Radnage ( 01/08/2011)
Great Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima - Radnage ( 01/08/2011)
Great Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima - Radnage ( 01/08/2011)
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