This site was inspired by the lack of photographs available on the internet of British Orthoptera. The photographs on this site have all been taken in the Somerset and Bristol region by Simon Mackie. Images will be uploaded as new species are found and photographed.
I'm an amateur naturalist and photographer with other web sites to my name , including one showcasing the areas' birds , another local orchids and one covering my nearest nature reserve at Stockwood. Links to these are at the bottom of this page.
The images on this site are of a large size , this is to show details in close-up. Therefore please be patient when viewing an image , they may take a few seconds to load.
Many thanks go to Jeff Holmes for his expert knowledge in finding many of the species photographed and for putting up with me in the field.
Best viewed full screen (press f11)
Environmental recorders have labelled the Large Marsh Grasshopper as nationally vulnerable.
The status of Britain's largest and rarest grasshopper in Somerset is officially unclear. The Large Marsh grasshopper lives exclusively on floating acid bogs of which there are scant few in the county. The species is also the focus of a Biodiversity Action Plan , something only given to flora or fauna in peril.
The images below of both male and female were taken in Dorset , one of the only places in Britain the Large Marsh has a toehold. As far as Somerset goes - we're still looking.
