Invertebrates
Great Green Bush-cricket
Tettigonia viridissima
On a warm August evening in a Mediterranean meadow, a male great green bush-cricket climbs a stem and begins a trill that fills the dusk.
Overview
The great green bush-cricket, Tettigonia viridissima, is a Not Evaluated bush-cricket of meadows, hedgerows, scrub, and gardens across Europe and parts of Asia, and rare in southern Britain. Its size, colour, and carrying song make it one of the most conspicuous insect singers of European summers.
A cricket with a carrying song
The male’s trill is among the loudest of any European insect, and it carries well beyond the grass where he sings, attracting females in the darkness.
Status
Not Evaluated globally, though widespread in Europe.
Great Green Bush-cricket: common questions
How loud is the great green bush-cricket?
The male sings a loud, continuous trill that carries a long way, especially at dusk and after dark.
How does it make its song?
Males rub their wings together to produce the high-pitched trill.
What is the long tube on the female?
It is a sword-shaped egg-laying tube, called an ovipositor, which she uses to push eggs into the ground.
Where is the great green bush-cricket found?
It lives in meadows, hedgerows, scrub, and gardens across Europe and parts of Asia, and is rare in southern Britain.