Meadow grasshopper

The Meadow Grasshopper is a resident of mainly damp, unimproved pastures and meadows. Grasshoppers go through a series of moults from wingless nymphs to winged adults, shedding their exoskeletons as they grow. Nymphs are present from April onwards, turning into adults in June who feed on plants and grass. Males can be seen displaying to females by rubbing their legs against their wings to create a 'song' - in this case, a regular 'rrrr' sound. After mating, the eggs are laid in the soil in a pod, ready to hatch the following spring.


A grey and dull morning gave way to steady rain. Pete and I did some gardening, including a tidy up of our newest pond, which has never really settled down. We decided some oxygenators were needed, so went out to the fens to see if we could find some water-milfoil in one of the ditches. We stopped at several spots, but the first couple were too nice, being dominated by shining pondweed and stoneworts, which wouldn't have thrived in a garden pond. At our last stop we found lots of rigid hornwort, which we decided would be worth a try and the grassland alongside the ditch was full of meadow grasshoppers. There were also quite a few emerald damselflies along the ditch margin, and I watched one pouncing on and devouring a rather squashy fly (see extra).


Otherwise it's been a quiet Sunday, spent finishing off the plant identifications from Claughton and preparing a roast dinner. We now have two pigeons in the house, as a rather beautiful young racing pigeon dropped in yesterday evening, and has taken up residence on the top of a tall cupboard in the kitchen! I think our original pigeon is rather bemused by her, but seems to be tolerating her presence. We're hoping that she'll move on soon, once she feels suitably rested.