Great Green Bush Cricket Identification Guide
Learn how to recognize Europe's largest bush cricket by its vivid green color and loud summer song.
Read the full Great Green Bush Cricket encyclopedia entry →
Key Visual Features
The great green bush cricket (Tettigonia viridissima) is the largest bush cricket species in Europe, easily recognized by its size and coloring:
- Bright, uniform green body, sometimes with a brown stripe running down the length of the back
- Large size, with adults reaching 4–7 cm (1.6–2.8 inches) including the wings, among the biggest orthopterans in its range
- Long wings that extend well beyond the tip of the abdomen, giving the insect a slender, elongated silhouette
- Very long, thin antennae, typically longer than the body
- Powerful hind legs, well suited for strong jumps
- Females have a slightly curved, sword-shaped ovipositor at the rear of the abdomen, longer and straighter than in many other bush cricket species
Where and When You'd See It
This species favors tall grasses, hedgerows, scrubland, and bramble patches across central and southern Europe, extending into parts of the UK where it is more localized. It is most active from mid-summer through early autumn. Males produce a loud, continuous, high-pitched "reeling" or buzzing song, often heard after dusk and into the night, which is one of the loudest insect sounds in the European countryside. During the day, the bright green coloring provides effective camouflage among grass blades and foliage.
Similar-Looking Bugs
- Speckled bush cricket: much smaller, covered in fine black speckles, with short, non-functional wings, unlike the great green bush cricket's long wings and unspeckled color
- Roesel's bush cricket: smaller and more brownish-green, with a distinctive cream border around the pronotum that the great green bush cricket lacks
- Grasshoppers: shorter antennae and daytime "chirping" calls rather than the long antennae and dusk/night song of the great green bush cricket
Quick ID Checklist
- Large, uniformly bright green body, sometimes with a brown back stripe
- Wings extending past the tip of the abdomen
- Antennae longer than the body
- Found in tall grass, hedgerows, and scrub in summer
- Loud, continuous buzzing song heard mainly after dusk
Frequently asked questions
How big does the great green bush cricket get?
It is Europe's largest bush cricket species, with adults reaching roughly 4–7 cm in length including the wings.
What time of day is this species most noticeable?
It is most noticeable after dusk and into the night, when males produce a loud, continuous buzzing or reeling song.
How do I tell it apart from the speckled bush cricket?
The great green bush cricket is larger with plain green coloring and long wings, while the speckled bush cricket is smaller, covered in fine black speckles, and has short, non-functional wings.
What habitat is best for finding this species?
Look in tall grasses, hedgerows, bramble patches, and scrubland during the warmer months from mid-summer into early autumn.