Invertebrates
Roesel's Bush-cricket
Metrioptera roeselii
From a tall grass verge on a warm August afternoon comes a thin, continuous buzz, the song of a Roesel’s bush-cricket, an insect on the move northwards.
Overview
Roesel’s bush-cricket, Metrioptera roeselii, is a common bush-cricket of rough grassland, verges, and damp meadows across Europe, and a species that has expanded steadily across Britain. Its continuous song and its dispersing long-winged forms make it a clear example of an insect responding to a warming climate.
A cricket on the move
Most Roesel’s bush-crickets are short-winged homebodies, but the occasional long-winged individual can fly, and these pioneers have helped the species to colonise new grasslands further north.
Status
Least Concern, and increasing.
Roesel's Bush-cricket: common questions
What does Roesel's bush-cricket sound like?
The male sings a long, continuous, high-pitched buzz, like a distant electric wire or a rattle.
Why is it spreading north?
Warmer summers and the occasional long-winged individuals that can fly have helped it to colonise new areas.
Can it fly?
Most individuals are short-winged and cannot fly, but a small proportion are long-winged and can fly.
Where is Roesel's bush-cricket found?
It lives in rough grassland, verges, and damp meadows across Europe, and is expanding in southern and eastern Britain.