Mottled Grasshopper

Another early start, before a day surveying an area of Norfolk countryside comprising lakes, open sand, heathland and plantation woodland. The weather forecast had promised that the temperature would be much lower than yesterday's 27C, but unbroken sunshine in the morning meant that it still felt pretty hot. I was quite glad when the clouds began to gather around midday.

There wasn't a lot of time to spare for photography, but there were so many Mottled Grasshoppers about that I had to try and photograph one of them. This species lives in dry, sunny places where the grass is short and there is bare ground or rocks. Railway sidings, old quarries, heathland and coastal areas are the main habitats where it is found. I think it's a particularly attractive grasshopper, with its relatively bright colouration and clubbed antennae. It occurs from the south coast to the north of Scotland and the Hebrides but is unable to exploit agricultural landscapes so is very localised in many regions. 


The song is a series of buzzing chirps that become progressively louder over a period of 10-15 seconds. The male courtship song is accompanied by a strange little dance display involving body swaying, hind leg jerking and reflexing of the antennae backwards.