Bush Cricket

Walking the dogs down by Mythe Bridge on the banks of the Severn there wasn't much around because it was cloudy and blustery. However on the low lying vegetation if you looked closely and approached with care there were crickets. Loads of Bush Crickets. This is a male.

Interestingly the female lays her eggs in late summer in rotting wood or bark crevices and they hatch 18 months later in the spring. The males are aggressive and can get into squabbles with their nearest neighbour, vigorously defending their territory.  Although you can hear the Bush Crickets some types of crickets can only be heard with a bat detector which I didn't know till today.