[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]The dawn chorus of birdsong has ended for this year, but the 'insect chorus' is in full swing now. As well as the buzzing of bees, beetles, dragonflies and hoverflies, there's the familiar chirping sound of meadow grasshoppers singing away in the fields. It's one of the sounds which typifies a summer day.
There are 11 different species of grasshopper native to Britain, and each species has its own unique sound which experts find as recognisable as bird songs. The meadow grasshopper makes a pulsing chirp which repeats every few seconds. X Factor finalist it ain't. It sounds something akin to a tube of Smarties being shaken vigorously.
The chirping sound is created by rubbing a row of pegs on their back legs against their wings. You can see the pegs with a good hand lens. The action is called 'stridulation'. Both sexes stridulate, but it's usually the males you can hear who make the noise in order to attract a mate.
Mating goes on until September, and once mated the females laying their eggs in batches of about a dozen in dry soil. The nymphs will emerge the following spring, around April or May.
Of the eleven species found in the UK the meadow grasshopper is the only one which can't fly. This species is also extremely variable in colour. They can be green, brown, purple, orange and even pink.
We're often asked how to distinguish between grasshoppers and crickets. The easiest way is to look at their antennae. Crickets have very long thin antennae, whereas grasshoppers have short stubby antennae.
Scientific name: Orthoptera
Size: 20mm to 40mm depending on the species
Distribution: Found throughout the UK
Months seen: April to October
Life span: Up to 10 months
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 on a summers day and you're 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 different species of grasshopper by the sounds they make. Since each species has a slightly different arrangement of pegs on their legs, the sound they make is unique.
The grasshopper's long, powerful back legs are also used as a defense mechanism. If the grasshopper feels threatened it can leap over relatively long distances, and propel itself out of harms way. Hence the name.
All grasshoppers have large eyes, and hearing organs located on each side of the body, on the abdomen. Their antennae are short and fairly thick compared to the antennae of crickets, which are long and very thin.
Grasshoppers lay their eggs in dry soil. The nymphs emerge around April or May the following year. There is no pupa or chrysalis stage in their life cycle, they simply grow, and molt several times (photo of young grasshopper) until they reach adult size around July. The adults can survive until November, but usually die off when the winter weather sets in.
Sat Aug 11, 2012 10:23 am
