The speckled bush crickets in my garden are getting bigger, but also more difficult to find for some reason. When they are tiny, they can easily be seen in Welsh Poppy flowers, where they show up nicely against the bright yellow petals. Now they are growing up, I have to hunt around for them more.
This year I have noticed them on bindweed leaves, which I haven’t done in the past. This doesn’t mean that they have only just started eating it, just that I hadn’t thought to look for them there. Unfortunately they are still very small, and despite their best efforts there is still plenty of bindweed in the garden.
Bush cricket nymphs go through a number of stages, called “instars”, by periodically shedding their skins and emerging a size larger. The adults should appear in July or August and the males then start to sing to attract a mate. The great thing about bush crickets is that they are comparatively easy to photograph, as they seem to stay in one place and don’t hop as much as grasshoppers. If you find one in your garden, you will probably have plenty of time to go and find your camera!
Sue Morton 9 June 2024
WEST OXFORDSHIRE FIELD CLUB 