At first glance, you might think that one of Disney's most loved characters, Jiminy Cricket, is living out his retirement in our local meadow. But if you look closer you'll notice, not only is he not wearing a top-hat, but this little cricket has yet to grow some wings, so he must be a youngster. Thank you to experts at WAB, who helped identify this as a male Great Green Bush-cricket.
This little nymph will grow to a massive 40-50mm, which makes him not only the largest species of cricket but the largest insect, in the UK. Well, actually, the females claim that title, having an extra 20-25mm of ovipositor, but we'll keep that to ourselves as this species can give a nasty bite and we don't want to upset him. Jim (as I've come to think of him) will go through several moults or morphs, finding his wings in stage 6, after which he'll earn himself another medal - loudest singer!
Great Green Bush-crickets are found in limited areas of the south. Rob photographed an adult female, last year, in the same meadow. I wonder if this is his mum?
