Wildlife watch: Speckled bush-cricket

Found in scrub, hedgerows and gardens in summer, it seems particularly fond of bramble. It’s mostly active at dusk and at night, and feeds on flowers and leaves.

In late summer, adult males attract females by rubbing their wings together, although this 'song' is too high pitched to be audible to most humans. After mating, females lay their eggs in tree bark or plant stems, and the hatched nymphs overwinter in the same spot. Speckled bush-cricket nymphs are smaller than the adults, with more pronounced speckles and no orange stripe or wings. They emerge from winter torpor in late spring and go through six moults before metamorphosing into an adult in summer. They breed and then die before winter.

How to help the speckled bush cricket

As the speckled bush cricket seems fond of bramble, leave a wild corner in your garden where bramble can flourish. Avoiding cutting plant stems back in autumn can also help them, as the nymphs may be using them to overwinter.