I don’t like crickets. I love them. With sightings of bright and colourful alien-esque creatures popping up in the county, I thought I’d shed some light on these much overlooked insects.

Throughout summer and heading into autumn, the calls and noises of crickets and grasshoppers are familiar sounds. Echoing the much-loved character of conscience in Disney’s Pinnochio, you may feel that, at this time of year, there is constantly a cricket chirruping on your shoulder. And you’re not far off.

Be you in fields, woodland or gardens, the irregular ‘chirp chirp’ can be heard right through days and into nights, with the culprit very close by.

What it lacks in looks, it makes up for in song

However, if we’re being picky, Walt got Jiminy a bit wrong. Crickets have far longer legs and antennae than grasshoppers. But would a gangly Jiminy have been quite so cute?

More often than not, it is the dark bush cricket you can hear here, there and everywhere. Common in Southern England and Wales, its dull brown colouration means it’s not the prettiest of the hopping community, but what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in song!

A genetic mutation makes them quite a spectacle

On the other end of the spectrum, the orthoptera (that’s something in the grasshopper or cricket family) making the news more regularly is a rather more colourful specimen. Along with two other grasshopper species, the field grasshopper – a usually inconspicuous insect – has a tendency to succumb to a genetic mutation, leaving it bright pink in colour. They are quite a spectacle for the finder, so it’s no wonder they’ve made the headlines. Unfortunately, these bright pink lovelies don’t tend to last long. Being so indiscreet, they are easy prey for predators and are usually gobbled up quick-smart. So be sure to take a photo should you spot one!

Something a lot less common, but iconic in the county, is the great green bush cricket. This giant of the insect world can reach lengths of 7cm, making it the largest of our bush crickets. And it spends its time in trees and on grassland. In contrast to the dark bush cricket, their song is loud and long, being likened to the noise of a sewing machine. Search out this camouflaged creature at the Neu Lindsey reserve near Nailsworth.

Its buzz sounds like overhead electricity cables

Then there’s the Roesel’s bush cricket – a species that has spread from it’s stronghold in the South-East with our changing climate. Its penetrating buzz sounds like overhead electricity cables. No less impressive than the other bush-crickets, it has a distinctive yellow margin around the saddle (pronotum), behind its eyes.

So this September, check out your garden, park, green space or nature reserve and keep an eye (and ear) out for all things that hop and chirp. You may just find something other-worldly.