Insect
Great Green Bush-cricket
Tettigonia viridissimaAlso known as Large Green Bush-cricket, Great Green Katydid
Adults perch high in hedgerows, scrub, and tree canopies, producing a loud, sewing-machine-like song that can carry across tens of meters on warm afternoons. Voracious omnivores, they stalk smaller insects including caterpillars and flies, supplementing their diet with tender foliage and blossoms. In late summer, females use their long, curved ovipositors to deposit eggs deep into soil or plant tissue, where they overwinter before hatching in spring.
InsectCamouflagedNocturnal
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyCaterpillars, Flies, Aphids
Predators
- Songbirds
- Bats
- Small rodents
ThreatsAgricultural intensification, hedge removal, and pesticide application
HabitatsGrasslands, scrublands, hedgerows, orchards, and woodland edges
Life spanUp to 1 year (mostly as overwintering egg)
Classification
- OrderOrthoptera
- FamilyTettigoniidae
- GenusTettigonia
- SpeciesTettigonia viridissima
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Powerful mandibles can deliver a sharp, painful pinch if handled; observe without picking up.
- Why it is dangerous
- Strong biting mandibles adapted for crushing prey can break human skin and cause minor pain when restrained.
- How to recognize a risky encounter
- Look for a uniformly lime-green body with wings extending well beyond the tip of the abdomen.
- What to do
- Enjoy observing on vegetation; do not squeeze or trap the insect in bare hands.
Responsible observation
- Locating by song: Follow the loud, continuous stridulation heard from tall bushes on warm sunny afternoons.
- Approaching carefully: Advance slowly to prevent the cricket from dropping silently into thick foliage.
- Night spotting: Search vegetation with a headlamp after dusk to find active, foraging adults.
Predator "Common Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)" by Meneer Zjeroen is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Kostas Zontanos, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Kostas Zontanos · cc-by
Close Relative (c) AJC1, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Nick Block, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Nick Block · cc-by
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Mystic Meadows
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