Bow-winged Grasshopper Chorthippus biguttulus
In our garden the Bow-winged Grasshopper is a frequent visitor as well. It's the spitting image of the Common Field Grasshopper, except for the somewhat broader wings. The sound it produces however is very different from that of the Common Field Grasshopper. First of all the sound is much louder, sounds more metallic and each chirp lasts at least 2 to almost 3 seconds. The chirps end abruptly and usually there are three of them in a row. Like most other species the Bow-winged Grasshopper loves sandy or rocky conditions and warmth. In dry, hot summers there are not only more of them, but they also produce more noise than in cold or wet summers. In the bottom pictures a young (called a nymph). We are not absolutely sure it is a young Bow-winged Grasshopper, for the young of grasshoppers in the genus Chorthippus are almost impossible to tell apart.
