Guy's Grasshoppers

[Wild-Woman]

I'd like to draw WAB member's attention to GuyF's fabulous set of grasshoppers that he has submitted to the Gallery.
He's got a few I've yet to see like the Woodland, Heath and Greater Marsh.
First rate job Guy and some that you really have to hunt for.

I wonder if we can pester you into a grasshopper meet next year?

[GuyF]

Thanks very much for the compliment Julie. Last week I decided to have a go at finding the 10 species of resident grasshopper that are found in mainland Britain, luckily Dorset is an excellent spot for grasshoppers with all 10 species so I could find most of the species fairly near to where I live. However some were a bit trickier to find and some I had to travel further to see.
Anyway, here are the shots:

1. Large Marsh Grasshopper

This is a rare insect, and also the largest British grasshopper, it's stronghold in Britain is on wet heathland in Dorset and the New Forest.
2. Stripe-winged Grasshopper

These are quite local, they inhabit areas with shorter turf such as chalk downland.
3. Woodland Grasshopper

These are also quite local, I had to travel to the New Forest to find any, they inhabit sunny woodland clearings.
4. Common Green Grasshopper

Despite the name this was the hardest one to find, they like damp grassland and can be absent from drier areas.
5. Field Grasshopper

A common grasshopper over much of Britain, they can be found in quite a range of grassy habitats.
6. Heath Grasshopper

Similar to the Field Grasshopper but a lot rarer and in Britain it's confined to heathland in Dorset and Hampshire.
7. Meadow Grasshopper

A very common grasshopper over a lot of Britain.
8. Lesser Marsh Grasshopper

I think this species has expanded it's range and is now quite widespread in damp grassy habitats.
9. Rufous Grasshopper

This one is also quite local, I found these in rough grassland on sea cliffs in west Dorset.
10. Mottled Grasshopper

These are fairly common and like areas of bare earth, they are common on the Dorset heaths.

As for a grasshopper meet, the problem is it can be hard to find a good number of species in one spot as they often have different habitat preferences, however there is one heathland site in Dorset where I managed to find atleast 7 species including Large Marsh, Heath and Stripe-winged Grasshoppers, so if anyones interested that's definetely worth a visit in late July/August.
They are a great group of insects, and although they do look confusingly similar to start with you can soon get the hang of telling them apart, hope these shots are of interest to some people.
Cheers, and thanks again Jules
Guy

[aeshna5]

Just to echo what Jules has said- that is a great set of photos. Well done Guy + you are indeed fortunate living in 1 of the top wildlife counties- especially for insects.

Sadly I can't hear all of them now as I found that the easiest way to ID them in the field- certainly not as easy as bush-crickets to ID visually + need a good look at keels, palps, stigmata, etc.

[tigger]

I agree. A really helpful and beutifully photographed set. I can see myself referring back to these pictures again and again.

What would you suggest Guy, as a good ID guide for Grasshoppers? As you say, they are worryingly similar to the beginner (like me!).

Also, how do you manage to get them to sit so still??? Any tricks for photographing them?

If you did meet next year... I'd be there - being a Dorset yokel.

Jane

[jdoherty]

All I can say is what a lovely set of photos. I was in Dorset for a few days this summer and it is really a beautiful area.

John

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by tigger

I agree. A really helpful and beutifully photographed set. I can see myself referring back to these pictures again and again.

What would you suggest Guy, as a good ID guide for Grasshoppers? As you say, they are worryingly similar to the beginner (like me!).

Also, how do you manage to get them to sit so still??? Any tricks for photographing them?

If you did meet next year... I'd be there - being a Dorset yokel.

Jane

A superb field guide came out last year:

A Photographic Guide to the Grasshoppers + Crickets of Britain + Ireland by Martin Evans + Roger Edmonson

ISBN: 978-0-9549506-1-3

Useful picture keys at the beginning + lots of glorious photos of all species, including rare vagrants + escapes, showing both sexes, colour forms + nymphs.

Indispensable for this group of insects. If you're into sounds there is a tape of UK species available from Harley Books as well as a more extensive CD of NW European species, including UK.

[tigger]

Thanks aeshna5. I will have a look for the book, it sounds a good buy. The tape sounds interesting as well. I was told the other day that you can tape the sounds of grasshoppers/crickets on a bat detector and depending on the frequency you can tell the species. I may look into this... as I could do the bats and insects at the same time! Jane

[GuyF]

Originally Posted by tigger

I agree. A really helpful and beutifully photographed set. I can see myself referring back to these pictures again and again.

What would you suggest Guy, as a good ID guide for Grasshoppers? As you say, they are worryingly similar to the beginner (like me!).

Also, how do you manage to get them to sit so still??? Any tricks for photographing them?

If you did meet next year... I'd be there - being a Dorset yokel.

Jane

Thanks for the kind comments everyone, Jane I'd certainly recommend the book aeshna mentions as well, it's brilliant and has helped me loads when id'ing grasshoppers. When it comes to photographing them they're a lot harder to get in hot sunshine so cloudy or cooler days are easier, also once you see one hop somewhere if you just move very slowly towards it it will often let you get some shots of it, some are more confiding than others but it's always fun trying!
Guy

[Hedge Witch]

Great shots - they look wonderful as a set. I still find ID very confusing - someone should take these and annotate the key feature for each species - any takers?

I guess this might be difficult.

Just a thought.

HW

[leifus]

woooo brilliant photos!!!