ID big insect

[Ladywell]

Have you reported it to your local wildlife trust!! Glad I got the original ID right!!

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by alpine

Hi many thanks for the post so far. Yes it does have vertically striped eyes. its been in my garden for the last five days now, it hides the the pine bush but comes out when the sun is out, BTW the location of the bug is in Ormskirk, Lancashire. If it is an Egyptian Grasshopper he/she has hopped a bloody long way lol

I would send your record with photo, location, date + your details to the Orthoptera recording scheme. An interesting one-maybe an accidental introduction ( with fruit/veg from Mediterranean) or a genuine vagrant.

[counterlady]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

I would send your record with photo, location, date + your details to the Orthoptera recording scheme. An interesting one-maybe an accidental introduction ( with fruit/veg from Mediterranean) or a genuine vagrant.

Yeah I do agree you should report it, im sure they would be interested you dont meet these creatures often!!!

[alpine]

Originally Posted by Ladywell

Have you reported it to your local wildlife trust!! Glad I got the original ID right!!

Hi Ladywell, I've taken you advise and reported our home alone friend to the local wildlife trust, he's still here in the garden enjoying all the sun, god knows what he is going to think when we get back to the normal cold and wet days.

[alpine]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

I would send your record with photo, location, date + your details to the Orthoptera recording scheme. An interesting one-maybe an accidental introduction ( with fruit/veg from Mediterranean) or a genuine vagrant.

Hi Aeshna5, Had a good look around the internet this weekend and have seen a few report with Egyptian Grasshoppers turning up in the UK and I think our visitor may have come accidentally like you say. Anyway I have reported our friend to the authorities via the Orthoptera recording scheme, so I will let you all know what happens next.

[alpine]

After reading up on the Egyptian Grasshopper this morning via the internet I see that it’s more at home in dry heat and is partial to salad type food.
Now I don’t know if I have done the right thing here, but I have moved our friend in to my greenhouse where we have a mixed crop of salad that we are growing, reasoning is that it’s got to be hungry and I don’t want our friend to become a feast for our local bird population – they would think it’s a Christmas dinner come early.
But what do I do in the future? Do I just let our friend out of the greenhouse and let it take its own chance in the big wide world or do I let it stay in our greenhouse to share our food – that is if it wants to stay.
So dilemma time – your comments are more than welcome.

[alpine]

UPDATE
Hi everyone, first many thanks for all the posts, information and advise re our visitor. Our Egyptian grasshopper has become a bit of a celeb with our local newspaper running an article on her (yes we found out she is the female of the species), anyway after still being with us for 9 days now we have finally found her a new home.
She now resides at Bugs of Fun, at Stapeley Water Gardens just one mile south of Nantwich on the A51, for one they are much more qualified to take great care of her, she will be able to live in a much more controlled environment similar to where she came from and the plus side is that other people will have the benefit of looking at a creature rare to this part of Europe.
Our local wildlife trust thinks she make have hitched a ride on my motorbike seeing that I have only just returned from Portugal and Spain, they think its more likely that she made the short hop (sorry for that) to mainland Portugal/Spain rather than bagged up in salad and flogged in a local supermarket, anyway its been a pleasure having her here no matter how she got to Ormskirk.
I will post all the other photographs that we have taken and edit them to give her, her proper name. I do have some very high res photographs of her should anyone what them - to post me a msg and I will send to you.
Many thanks
John

[Hedera]

So glad you've found her a good home! I gather they don't live very long, but at least she'll be happier in the warm.

[counterlady]

Thats awesome news Alpine - I'll be down near Nantwich next week might pop in to have a nosey - great work on your behalf well done to you

[aeshna5]

Thanks for the update alpine. Another species- the Southern Oak Bush-cricket which is now well established in parts of the home counties probably also arrived via vehicles (+ maybe the odd pot plant). Being flightless it couldn't have flown here.