distribution of this insect to be sporadic in the County, usually occurring in small
numbers, although further searches should reveal more sites, particularly along the
Thames Estuary, closer to London.
Tettigonia viridissima
Pholidoptera Griseoaptera: Dark bush cricket
A medium-sized bush cricket, the female is light brown in colour whilst the male is much
darker in general colouration. Both sexes have a yellowish-green underside. This insect
was by far the commonest species in the survey, with almost 25% of all records being
attributable to it (see Table 3). This is probably because the insect stridulates throughout
the day (it need not be hot or sunny) and continues until after dusk, thereby making its
presence obvious, especially as its song is distinctive. It is a rather "still" insect not given
to violent movement and keeps well hidden in the vegetation which usually consists of
bramble, nettles and other rough herbage. Throughout Essex, it rarely inhabits grassland
as it does in some other Counties. It is much easier to see in its early instars when it is
more numerous and tends to sit in open situations on lower herbage before climbing to
taller vegetation as it matures.
Although this insect is common throughout Essex, there are one or two areas where it is
surprisingly local, one of these being Epping Forest. In fact, it appears almost absent
from the area, apart from one sighting at High Beach in October 1987. Interestingly, two
other Essex naturalists, R.M. Payne and M.W. Hanson both admit to never having seen
this insect in the forest although the latter tells of a J.O. Mountford who found
P. griseoaptera also at High Beach, in the hot summer of 1976. Two other areas where
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