Telford - Short-winged Coneheads

Short-winged Coneheads (Conocephalus dorsalis) have only recently arrived in the Shropshire (first record in 2020) and I was fortunate to team up with our County Recorder for Orthoptera to see how they were doing at Huntington Lane, Telford. The restored habitat here has gone back to nature after formerly being an open cast mine site. The fields are fenced off with no access but fortunately some of the verges next to the track were productive! We saw at least four individuals, both male and female!

As the name implies, the wings are much shorter than that of Long-winged Conehead as is the ovipositor which is also more upwardly curved.

They were really active and a nightmare to photograph but as you can see, I got there on the end!

One particular male stayed in view for quite some time and gave better views. Just look at the length of those antennae...

The background was always cluttered but I never even noticed!?

Slowly inching along this stem...

And entering the close up zone!

A county first for me and the females were a county first for images. Nice one David, thank you for expertly guiding me to them! Oh and there also several Lesser Marsh Grasshoppers seen here too! These have been recorded since 2013 but are still very localised. Another separate post beckons...

Telford - Lesser Marsh Grasshopper

With the Short-winged Coneheads under my belt, a nearby spot for Lesser Marsh Grasshopper (Chorthippus albomarginatum) was explored. This species is also relatively new in Shropshire after an initial discovery in 2013. They were there but hard work to photograph and most were hunkered down in the long grass.

See what I mean! The dorsal view isn't the most aesthetic angle but allows a good assessment of the pronotum shape which as seen here very slightly incurved, only Meadow Grasshopper comes close to this! 

These first two images are of a male which also has longer antennae than the female.

A female with short antennae and another useful pointer is the very clear white stripe on the leading edge of the forewing (hence C. albomarginata)

Despite the grass environment, she hopped onto this stone for a much better view.

What an excellent Orthoptera result on a largely cloudy afternoon!!

Horsehay - Lesser Marsh Grasshopper

Fourteen species of Orthoptera (not including escapes) are resident in Shropshire and after a fair bit of effort in recent weeks I was currently on 13 species with just one to go! Lesser Marsh Grasshopper has only  recently (since 2013) been found in Shropshire but has settled down in a few sites in Telford, also Dudmaston and Albrighton. Given the totally wild, largely untrod area of Horsehay I was visiting, I was glad to have County Recorder David Williams as my guide!

The sun was shining and once we had fought our way through dense heather and bracken we arrived (no legs broken) at a grassy area, known to hold them. It didn't take long to find our first one, a female green morph.

The similarity to Meadow Grasshopper is obvious but these have long wings, the leading edge of which is striped white.

Seen from above, the clincher was getting a good view of the pronotum, almost completely parallel.

I managed to find a second one, this time a grey colour morph.

Despite not being quite so brightly coloured as some of their cousins, they had 'presence' that is until they ping away, having decided no more pics!

There was also a bonus Long Winged Conehead present (female)

A big thank you to David for his  help! I've had a great time sorting these little chaps out and like Odonata, there is the chance of a new species from adjacent counties heading out way one day? Whatever, I'll certainly be looking and listening next summer for more of the same... Maybe a male Lesser Marsh?

Catherton Common - Bog Bush Crickets

My quest to see and photograph all the resident Shropshire Orthoptera had gone really well over the past two months but I still needed one more 'Cricket'  - Bog Bush Cricket. The two hotspots likely to produce them were Catherton Common in the south or Whixall Moss and I opted for the former site with Cramer Gutter the most likely spot...

Five minutes into the hunt, I disturbed my first one, a striking all grey female...

Dorsal view...

Crawling through the gense spines of a gorse bush, the next was the first of three green forms, nicely marked on the upper parts...

Cricket number three showed really well albeit very briefly and I managed just a single decent image...

And finally, number four gave clear views of the head / wings...

Just one more species to go and my quest will be complete - Lesser Marsh Grasshopper, potentially the most difficult? Watch this space...

Dudmaston - Dark Bush Cricket

Every Cricket I've found / seen these past two months has been accidental and today's newbie followed this familiar pattern. I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye and....

Dark Bush Cricket!! What a beast, sporting enough armour to put a tank to shame!

Whilst the body has an indestructible feel to it, the same can't be said for the antennae with one half missing!

I wonder which species lady luck will deliver next?

Aston Locks - Slender Groundhopper

I've been working my way through all the species of Orthoptera found in Shropshire and Groundhoppers have been a source of frustration. They are so small and by the time their nymphs (not to mention other grasshoppers) have been eliminated, all the effort amounts to nothing!

So whilst this little chap is a Groundhopper, it 'could ' be Common or Slender!

No doubt about this one below though, a Slender Groundhopper and possibly my most difficult target, an adult with vestigial forewings! The long wings and pronotum clearly extend beyond the tip of the abdomen for an easy ID...

So, just Common Groundhopper, Dark Bush / Bog Cricket and Lesser Marsh Grasshopper to go for the life list plus Oak Bush Cricket for this year?

Venus Pool - Speckled Bush Cricket

Another new Bush Cricket!! This time a male Speckled Bush Cricket with, as the name implies a scattering of black spots all over. 

Long antennae as per usual...

The 'wing's as seen here are pretty pointless as they can't fly but boy can they jump!

Turned my head for a moment and he was gone!!

The Bog - Mottled Grasshopper

Whilst Grayling were the target species, I kept my ears and eyes to the ground in the hope of nailing my final 'easy'  Grasshopper for Shropshire. The habitat here is ideal in the sunny dry spots and it wasn't long before, I could see obviously 'clubbed' antennae in the viewfinder! Keeping them still and in a reasonably open position for a picture was another matter!!

My first one had clearly suffered an injury to the tip of the left antenna! Clear mottling, long wings and red colouration to the abdomen looking good for a male Mottled Grasshopper. The search was on for a better one however...

After a bit of a search, finally found one showing clearly clubbed antennae although there was far less mottling in general. The strongly inflexed pronotum looks good though!

Fascinating creatures, wonder which one will hop into my life next?

Venus Pool - female Long-winged Conehead

Another day, another Conehead and I haven't even been searching for them, they just seem to turn up!! The was another nymph Long-winged Conehead but this time a female brandishing an amazing ovipositor! Found along the path adjacent to the sand quarry...

This was to be the briefest of encounters as she hopped into the dense vegetation next to the fence and was lost to view!

Venus Pool - Long-winged Conehead No2

Yet another male nymph Long-winged Conehead, this time off the path in the arable field, near to the Oak tree. This photo, first of three demonstrates just how long the antennae are!

A couple of dorsal views...

Followed by a long hop and change of scenery!

The final perch, before I lost him, by far the most photogenic...

Good things come in threes, where;s the next one?