Fortuneswell, Dorset, UK. 24th Aug, 2017. Warm weather brings out a male Great Green Bush Cricket ( tettigonia viridissima) perched on a bottle of 'bubbly' in a Fortuneswell kitchen, Isle of Portland Credit: stuart fretwell/Alamy Live News
Photographer, Stuart Fretwell, was taking a shower at his Portland home when he was shocked to find a giant cricket sharing the cubicle! It turned out to be a Great Green Bush Cricket, a denizen of France, which was first seen in the UK in 2002 in southern England. Global Warming has led to the migration of such unusual birds and insects to the , in recent years. A female was soon spotted in Stuart's garden, so the male may have been taking shelter from predators, after mating. Stuart says that a few years ago, feeling an itch on his leg whilst in bed one morning, he threw back the covers to find one of these giant crickets staring at him! Unlike spiders, these critters are far too big to use a tumbler and card to catch, as with spiders. You have to cup your hands around them and the feel of their scratchy legs on your skin can be quite off-putting. They're not dangerous but they're definitely 'scary', nonetheless.
Size: 3279px × 2195px
Location: Fortuneswell, Isle of Portland Dorset, UK
Photo credit: © stuart fretwell / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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