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Photo: G. Bradley
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UK
Safari Tip:
You can identify all the British grasshoppers, crickets (and allied
insects) with this superbly illustrated fold out chart - click
here
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Latin name: Orthoptera
Size: There are eleven species of grasshopper native to Britain. They vary in length from 20 to 30mms depending on the species.
Distribution: Found throughout the UK.
Months seen: May to October.
Habitat: Meadows and areas of rough grassland.
Food: Grass
Special features: For such a small creature the grasshopper can make a surprisingly loud noise. Walk past any patch of tall grass in the summer and you are sure to hear the males chirping to the females.
The noise is made by a row of pegs on their back legs, which they rub against their forewings. The wings help to amplify the sound. You can create a similar effect by stroking the teeth of a comb against the edge of a piece of cardboard.
Experts are able to identify the different species of grasshopper by the sound they make. Since each species has a slightly different arrangement of pegs on their legs, the sound they make is unique.
Their long, powerful back legs are also used as a defense mechanism. If the grasshopper feels threatened it can leap over quite long distances, and propel itself out of harms way. Hence the name.
They all have large eyes, and hearing organs located on each side of the body on the abdomen. They are active in daylight hours, and although they belong to the same family as crickets, grasshoppers have shorter antennae.
Grasshoppers lay their eggs in dry soil. The nymphs emerge around May the
following year. There is no pupa or chrysalis stage in their life cycle. They
simply grow, and molt several times until they reach adult size around August.
UK Safari Creepy-Crawlies Section
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