Speckled Bush-cricket (Leptophyes punctatissima)

The speckled bush cricket is a species of bush cricket common in well-vegetated areas of England and Wales, such as woodland margins, hedgerows and gardens.

The eggs are laid, in late summer, into tree bark or plant stems, where they remain over winter. The nymphs emerge in May and June and mature as adult speckled bush crickets by mid-August.

You can find these insects perched motionless in bushes and sometimes in porches and on window ledges. They are most active at dusk and at night.

Females can be identified by their sabre-like ovipositor.

Length 9-18 mm. As the name suggests, the green body is covered in tiny black spots. It also has a pale brown stripe down its back.

Seen in the gardens of Chiwck House and in the River Crane Reserve in Twickenham in 2020