Best time to see: late Jul to mid Oct

Key facts

A lime green bush-cricket found on mature trees, particularly oak, and also in shrubby gardens and parks

Difficult to see by day, except by beating it out of bushes and trees; attracted by lights and often found in houses

Common in Essex and across southern England

Recognition

Slender lime green body with a brownish stripe running down its back; wings extending just beyond its body

Body up to 2 cm long; females with a 1 cm ovipositor, upturned with a brown tip

Produces only a faint sound at night by drumming with its hind legs

Lifecycle

Female lays her eggs in tree bark in late summer and the nymphs emerge the following June