Field Grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus

Field Grasshopper. Photo R I Moyse.

The Field Grasshopper is one of the commonest and most widespread grasshopper species in the UK, and can be abundant where habitat conditions are suitable. It prefers short or open grassy habitats in dry, sunny situations, and so can be found on open grassland, road verges, in parks and gardens, on waste ground, and in open coastal habitats. It generally avoids the kind of dense and more closed grassland habitats, such as pasture land, used Meadow Grasshopper and Lesser Marsh Grasshopper.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Meadow Grasshopper Pseudochorthippus parallelus (previously Chorthippus parallelus)

Meadow Grasshopper, female, typical form (left) and long-winged form (right). Photos R I Moyse.

Meadow Grasshoppers are very common and widespread, occurring in a wide range of grassy habitats across Britain, particularly in tall, coarse or well-vegetated grasslands in reasonably moist situations. They can reach high population densities in such habitats, where they are fairly easy to detect by disturbing the vegetation. Females have only vestigial wings, meaning that they are easily distinguished from other grasshoppers and cannot fly (however, a long-winged form which is able to fly does occasionally occur). The much smaller males, which are also flightless, are easily recognised by the dark 'knees' on their hind legs, and are often the first of the grasshoppers to be heard singing in early summer.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad. This species appears to be more-or-less ubiquitous, so blank areas in the map probably result from under-recording.

Lesser Marsh Grasshopper Chorthippus albomarginatus

Lesser Marsh Grasshopper. A selection of colour forms: 'brown' (left), 'green brown sides' (centre) and 'dorsal stripe (purple)' (right). Photos R I Moyse.

Although the Lesser Marsh Grasshopper appears at first rather plain and undistinguished, it is relatively easy to pick up the 'jizz' of this species, particularly the shape of the pronotum (slightly, but noticeably, more parallel-sided than in Meadow Grasshopper) and the brown, often straw, colour (though a number of more brightly coloured varieties are known). Lesser Marsh Grasshoppers can be found in grassy habitats and coastal marsh, but also occur in drier habitats inland and have been found in woodland rides in the Blean. Ted Benton, in his New Naturalist volume, suggests that there has been range expansion associated with an ability to occupy drier habitats, which may explain the block of records from dry, inland locations in Greater London.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Stripe-winged Grasshopper Stenobothrus lineatus

Stripe-winged Grasshopper. Photo R I Moyse.

In Kent, this grasshopper is mainly associated with chalk grassland, where it favours the shorter, more closely-grazed turf, though elsewhere in Britain it uses other dry habitats, including heathland: in Grasshoppers and Crickets of Surrey, it is noted that Stripe-winged Grasshoppers are just as widespread on the abundant grassy heathland in that county. The white stripe on the wing margin and the white, tick-shaped mark on the wing are useful features for identification, though it is useful to check the wing venation if there is any doubt about separation from Common Green Grasshopper.

This species' need for short grass means that it may be susceptible to changes in habitat management. This may explain the large number of green dots around Dover on the map below, where previously closely grazed grassland is now considerably taller and searches during summer 2022 failed to refind Stripe-winged Grasshopper. However, the species does appear to be relatively mobile (both male and female animals turned up in the author's garden in the summer of 2023, a mile distant from the nearest chalk grassland), and so might be expected to return to restored habitat.

At Queendown Warren, this species can be found together with Rufous Grasshopper, and their different habitat preferences can easily be observed, with Stripe-winged being found on the open, short turf, while Rufous occurs in the taller herbaceous vegetation around the margins.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Rufous Grasshopper Gomphocerippus rufus

Rufous Grasshopper. Photo R I Moyse.

A species easily recognised by its antennae which are clubbed and white-tipped. While male Mottled Grasshoppers also have clubbed antennae, their tips in that species are not white. Rufous Grasshopper is Nationally Scarce and in Britain is largely limited to the chalk grasslands of Southern England. In Kent it is very much a species of high-quality chalk grassland on the North Downs, where its preference is for taller grassy or herb-rich vegetation. Most of its locations are on SSSI sites in the Darent Valley, around the Medway Gap, at Wye and close to Folkestone.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Long-winged Conehead Conocephalus fuscus (C. discolor)

Left: Long-winged Conehead, an extra-long-winged female of the brown colour-form. Right: A female with the more common length of wings and more common green colour-form. Photos R I Moyse.

A distinctive, slender bush-cricket which was first recorded in Britain in the 1930s but only started to spread towards the end of that century. It was first recorded in Kent in 1990, and is now ubiquitous in tall, grassy vegetation, whether on dry downland or in wet marshland. The male's song is a continuous, steady, high-pitched buzz which is easy to recognise (though similar to the song of the Short-winged Conehead).

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Short-winged Conehead Conocephalus dorsalis

Short-winged Coneheads: male (left) and female (right). Photos R I Moyse.

A wetland species found in tall, grassy or rushy vegetation on coastal and riverine marshes. There is a long-winged form of this species, so wing-length alone is not enough to separate the two cone-heads. The form of the ovipositor, which is straight in Long-winged Conehead and curved in Short-winged, is the easiest distinguishing feature. The male's song also differs: in the Short-winged Conehead, the buzzing includes periods when it slows to a steady ticking before speeding up again; in Long-wing Conehead, the buzzing only slows when the song is coming to a stop.

The map below includes a large number of tetrads with no records after 1999, which suggests that this may be a declining species in Kent. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Short-winged Conehead used to be more abundant in coastal and riverine marshland, using dry grassland on sea-walls as well as wetter habitats. Now, however, it seems to be largely confined to the wettest places, often being found only amongst rushes which are standing in water. The drier marshland seems now to be occupied by Long-winged Coneheads, though whether there is direct competition or Short-winged Conehead is responding to drier summer weather is unclear. It seems unlikely that Short-winged Conehead has vanished from all those places it was recorded in the latter part of the 20th Century (green dots on the map below), but it may be a lot less abundant where it does occur and so less likely to be recorded.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Large Conehead Ruspolia nitidula

A species almost as large as the Great Green Bush-cricket, though more slender and with a distinctive, pointed head. The song is loud and distinctive, but mainly produced at night. Large Conehead was previously known from a handful of records in Scilly and Dorset, but in 2020 individuals were found at Bexhill in East Sussex, and at Hothfield Common in Kent, followed by the discovery of a colony of around 30 individuals at Dungeness. Since then, the colony at Dungeness has persisted, though it is not clear whether the species is still present at Hothfield as a visit in 2023 failed to find any sign. The species has also expanded its distribution in the areas inland of Folkestone and Dover, and one was also found at Swanscombe in North-west Kent in 2023.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Sickle-bearing Bush-cricket Phaneroptera falcata

Sickle-bearing Bush-cricket, female. Photo R I Moyse.

This large, leggy bush-cricket has occurred occasionally as a vagrant or accidental introduction to Britain from the late 19th Century, but it was only in 2006 that the first breeding colony was found. This first colony, near Hastings, does not seem to have persisted. However, in 2009, an individual was found at Dungeness, and this was followed in 2015 by the discovery of a breeding colony nearby which, at the time of writing in early 2024, continues to persist. In 2016, the species was found amongst chalk grassland and scrub at the Devil's Kneading-trough in the Wye National Nature Reserve near Ashford. The Wye population is still present and apparently expanding. Further spread may be expected: an individual was found just south of Ashford in 2020, and there were records in 2022 from Postling Down, Folkestone Warren and the Isle of Grain. This is a species which is most active in the late afternoon and evening, and which flies readily.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

 
Speckled Bush-cricket Leptophyes punctatissima

Speckled Bush-cricket, male. Photo R I Moyse.

A very common and widespread species, despite its only having very short wings and consequently being unable to fly. It occurs in trees, scrub and coarse grassland, and seems to particularly like bramble. The song consists of a short, high-pitched chirp at about 40kHz, so that a bat-detector provides the easiest way to find the species, particularly in dense scrub cover.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

House Cricket Acheta domesticus

House Cricket, male. Photo R I Moyse.

A true cricket, in the family Gryllidae, the House Cricket has this family's typically broad build and wide, rounded head. In Britain, it is a species associated with human habitation, needing warmth in winter and living on scavenged scraps. Once so common as to have been thought a domestic pest, it has declined substantially as a result of improved domestic and workplace hygiene. It still persists in rubbish (the photographed specimen probably came from the grounds of an adjacent skip company) and in dung heaps - I once heard its loud song in December, coming from a pile of dung which had been scraped from a cattle shed. Ted Benton, in his New Naturalist volume, expresses the view that most modern records are likely to be animals bred as food for captive reptiles (and it is worth noting that there are other, similar species bred for this purpose and which might be encountered as escapees).

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Tree Cricket Oecanthus pellucens

Tree Cricket, male. Photo R I Moyse.

A smallish and rather delicate member of the Gryllidae, best detected by the loud, trilling song produced in the evening and during the night. There appear to have been occasional records of individuals, the first in Kent being a male found singing in a hedgerow in Stockbury, between Maidstone and Sittingbourne. In 2015, a substantial colony was discovered in scrub and long grass at Dungeness, and this colony has persisted and may have started to spread. In 2022, Alfie Gay came across two singing males at Folkestone Warren, some 16 miles from the Dungeness colony; more were found nearby in 2023. Whether the individuals at Folkestone represent spread from Dungeness or a separate cross-channel colonisation event, it seems likely that Tree Crickets will be found at further locations along the coast in the near future.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Ground-hoppers are small species associated with sparse or open vegetation, where they feed on moss and algae. Adults can be found in both spring and autumn – indeed, Common Ground-hoppers can be found as nymphs or adults at any time of year. They are inconspicuous and are best found by searching by eye or by sweeping open vegetation in suitable habitats.

Common Groundhopper Tetrix undulata

Common Groundhopper. Photo R I Moyse.

Common Ground-hopper is the most commonly encountered of the three species, and is recognisable by the strong keel on the pronotum and the generally stocky appearance. It occurs in a wide range of habitats that are damp enough to support its food-plants, including grassland, heathland and woodland rides, and is able to utilise drier places than the other two species. It is likely that the large proportion of green dots on the map below reflects under-recording rather than any substantial change in distribution.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Slender Groundhopper Tetrix subulata

The Slender Groundhopper is widespread in Kent, but is more closely associated with wet places than the Common Groundhopper, including open species in damp woodlands. It is very similar in appearance to Cepero's Groundhopper, having a long pronotum that extends well beyond the end of the abdomen.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Cepero's Groundhopper Tetrix ceperoi

Cepero's Groundhopper. Photo R I Moyse.

Like the Slender Groundhopper, Cepero's Groundhopper is associated with damp habitats, but generally in coastal habitats, including grazing marsh where it may be found on the margins of ditches and ponds. It is considered as Nationally Scarce, and the NBN website shows records from around the coast of Southern England and South Wales, with the most northern records being from the fens. In appearance, it is very similar to Slender Groundhopper, requiring close examination of features of the head and legs for confident identification. It is a strong swimmer if it finds itself in water.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Woodland Grasshopper Omocestus rufipes

Woodland Grasshopper, male (left) and female (right). Photos R I Moyse.

A Nationally Scarce species of open woodland, woodland rides and heathland. The females could be confused with Field Grasshopper or Common Green Grasshopper, but the males are a distinctive mahogany brown, with bright red on the abdomen and chalk-white palps. It has a strongly south-easterly distribution the Britain, but is widespread in Kent, with records from the Downs, the Greensand, and the High and Low Weald. It is by no means common, though the records suggest there is no cause for concern for this species, as more than half of all records are from 2000 onwards. It may still persist in many of the places it was previously recorded: visits to Longbeech Wood near Charing in 2022 and Covert Wood in 2023 found the species still present more than 35 years after the previous records for these sites. This species is often abundant at Hothfield Common, particularly close to the woodland edges.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Common Green Grasshopper Omocestus viridulus

Common Green Grasshopper, male, brown form. Photo R I Moyse.

A species found throughout the British Isles, right up to the north of Scotland, but with a somewhat scattered distribution in Kent. It is said to prefer long grass in relatively cool, moist locations, though it can and does occur on chalk grassland on the North Downs. The individual in the photograph above was one of a number found on hot, south-facing downland near Luddesdown in 2022. Nonetheless, the locations of green (pre-2000) dots on the map below suggest possible losses or at least declines on the Downs around Kemsing, Wye and the White Cliffs. The species can look similar to Field Grasshopper and Stripe-winged Grasshopper, but does have a distinctive song like a very small sewing-machine in longish bursts (typically longer than the similar song of the Woodland Grasshopper, with which it may sometimes occur).

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Grey Bush-cricket Platycleis albopunctata

 Grey Bush-cricket, female. Photo R I Moyse.

A medium-sized bush-cricket which is overall rather a drab grey, and generally best distinguished from similar species by its full-length wings and green or yellowish underside. However, it can be a difficult species to see, as it keeps to cover of dense grasses or low scrub. The call of the males is fairly distinctive, and a bat detector is perhaps the most effective way of finding them. The species is considered Nationally Scarce and is mainly limited to Southern England and South Wales. In Kent it is primarily limited to the south and east coasts, especially Dungeness and Sandwich Bay. However, there are some inland records shown on the map below, which have been included as potentially correct, despite the possibility of confusion with other species.

 Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Roesel's Bush-cricket Roeseliana roeselii
(previously Metrioptera roeselii)

Roesel's Bush-cricket, male. Left, typical form with short wings. Right, long winged (macropterous) form, known as forma diluta. Photos R I Moyse.

A medium-sized bush-cricket with a characteristic yellow or green margin to the pronotum. The typical, short-winged form does not fly, and this was previously a species of restricted distribution in Britain; in Kent, it was generally thought of as a species of the Thames Estuary. Since the 1980s, it has enjoyed a period of rapid expansion in its distribution, and it is now more-or-less ubiquitous in suitable habitat - tall grassland - across Kent. This expansion appears linked to an increased frequency in the occurrence of the long-winged form, which is able to fly, is almost certainly the result of increased temperatures.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera

Dark Bush-cricket, female. Photo R I Moyse.

A very common and widespread species of coarse grassland and scrubby habitats. Though similar to the Grey Bush-cricket, the females are without wings and the males retaining just a stubby pair of forewings for the purposes of stridulation. They are largely nocturnal, and the males' chirps are commonly heard after dark. They also survive somewhat later in the year than some other species, and can be seen or heard well into October.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Oak Bush-cricket Meconema thalassinum

Oak Bush-cricket, female. Photo: R I Moyse.

Oak Bush-cricket is common and widespread, but is a nocturnally-active species of tree canopies (especially Oak trees) and so can be hard to detect - especially as the males do not sing. As a result it is under-recorded and likely to be more widespread than the map suggests. In Surrey, it was successfully surveyed using a combination of techniques: either searching in the evening for egg-laying females on the trunks of oak trees, or looking for the crushed remains of individuals blown from trees by strong autumn winds. During the day, individuals can be beaten from the lower branches of Oak trees.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Southern Oak Bush-cricket Meconema meridionale

Southern Oak Bush-cricket, male - note the egg-shaped outline formed by the cerci. In Oak Bush-cricket, the outline is more even and circular. Photo: R I Moyse.

Southern Oak Bush-cricket, female. Photo: R I Moyse.

A new species to the UK, first recorded in 2001 following its northward spread through Europe, and with the first Kent record being in 2005. Though the species is flightless, spread has been relatively rapid, with evidence pointing towards the animals hitching rides on the outside of motor vehicles. Unfortunately, wings aside, this species is very similar to Oak Bush-cricket, making separation of the two species difficult at those times of the year when one or both are likely to be present as nymphs. Key features are the slightly more up-curved tip to the ovipositor in female Southern Oak Bush-crickets, and the difference in the shapes of the male cerci; Ted Benton (in his New Naturalist volume on Grasshoppers and Crickets) also notes differences in eye colour and the pattern on the pronotum. Wingless specimens late in season (both species are active through the autumn) are likely to be Southern Oak Bush-cricket.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

 Mottled Grasshopper, female (left), and male (right). Photos R I Moyse.

This small species is very widespread in Britain, even being found in the Hebridean Islands. However, Mottled Grasshoppers are very dependent on exposure to direct sunlight in order to maintain an active body temperature, so that even in the warm south-east they are associated with short, very open grassland habitats. In Kent, Mottled Grasshoppers have a very restricted distribution, with the largest populations being on the dunes and sandy grassland of Sandwich Bay and the dry, open habitats of Dungeness (where they seem to prefer the better developed, though still short, swards away from the coarser shingle). Inland, there are very few locations, with recent inland records coming only from Hayes Common in South-east London, Culand Pits near Burham and Hatch Park near Ashford.

Despite thorough searching, it has not been possible to find any populations on sites previously occupied at Hothfield Common, Old Park near Canterbury, or the Lydden-Temple Ewell Downs. This is likely to be due to habitat changes, as little or no suitably short sward remains at Lydden. At Hothfield, a period in the late 20th Century when the vegetation became more closed may have resulted in the species disappearing from the site, as today the site appears to contain eminently suitable habitat.

Mottled Grasshoppers in Kent are very closely associated with Sites of Special Scientific Interest, with perhaps only recent records from Hythe Ranges and Betteshanger Country Park (the latter supporting a widespread and maybe substantial population), and an older one from a chalk pit near Halling, being from undesignated sites.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Habitat of Mottled Grasshopper at Hatch Park, near Ashford (left) and Dungeness (right). Both sites are SSSI.

Great Green Bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima

Great Green Bush-cricket: male (top) and female (bottom) . Photos R I Moyse (top); Shelagh Wilson (bottom).

This large and unmistakeable species found amongst tall, rough vegetation, including coarse grassland and scrub, in warm, sunny situations. It is particularly widespread in coastal East Kent, but with scattered and long-standing populations in North Kent (such as those at Darland Banks in Medway, and on Sheppey where it may be expanding its range) and elsewhere. The complex distribution pattern of this species, which is mainly, but not wholly, limited to southern England suggests a relationship to climate that goes beyond average temperature alone, and may involve temperatures in winter (it is strongly coastal), sunshine totals, or other factors. Handle these animals with care - they can bite!

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.

Wart-biter Decticus verrucivorus

Wart-biter. Photo Grant Hazlehurst.

Another large species of bush-cricket, and close in size to the Great Green Bush-cricket. It has always been a very rare species nationally, with scattered historic records from the Deal-St Margaret's Bay area, Lydden Down, and a site near Rochester. In Kent, it declined during the 20th Century until only the Lydden population remained: the last sighting of this population was in 1975. However, it was subsequently reintroduced to Lydden-Temple Ewell Nature Reserve, which it continues to survive, though it appears to remain confined to the central third of the reserve. There are apparently just four other extant sites for the species in Britain, and it is legally protected. Another species with strong jaws, and which was apparently used in the past to chew off warts.

Map showing records at tetrad (2km x 2km square) resolution. Colour of dot shows date-class of most recent record for that tetrad.