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Sticker of Common green grasshopper
Bug card No. 0326 of 1,500

Common green grasshopper

Omocestus viridulus
Eats: PlantsGrasshoppers and cricketsGardens and meadows6 legs

The common green grasshopper is usually green all over, sometimes with brown sides. It lives in meadows with long grass and chirps by rubbing its back leg against its wing, like a tiny violin. Its song starts quietly and gets louder and louder.

Lives in
Europe and Asia as far as Siberia and Mongolia, in meadows with long grass
Length
1.7 to 2 cm (0.67 to 0.79 in)
Top speed
about 7.6 km/h (4.7 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It just hops away if you come too close.
What does it eat?
It eats grass, mostly the kinds that grow everywhere, like cocksfoot and ryegrass.
For real!Photo of Common green grasshopper
Picture by Swethasakthivel. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Common green grasshopper about 2 cm long (0.79 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)
as long as 3 grains of rice in a rowcould run across a dinner table in 0.5 secondsmoves 110 times its own body length every second

How big is Common green grasshopper compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Each song lasts about 45 to 60 seconds, then the male rests for 10 to 15 seconds.

2

Males and females try not to sing at the same time, so they can hear each other and find each other.

3

The male often sings once in one spot, then moves to another spot to sing again.

4

The babies hatch in April and look like tiny grown-ups without working wings.

5

In Spain its song is shorter than in other places.

you asked

Most asked questions about Common green grasshopper

?How does the common green grasshopper make its sound?

It rubs its back leg against its wing. The song starts quiet and grows louder.

?What does the common green grasshopper eat?

Grass, especially common grasses that grow in meadows.

?When can you see the common green grasshopper?

Usually from April to October, in meadows with long grass.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Omocestus viridulus
Group
Grasshoppers and crickets
Family
Acrididae
Classification
Insecta > Orthoptera > Acrididae
Lives on
Europe, Asia

Where the facts come from

  1. Omocestus viridulus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Swethasakthivel. CC0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.

More from the same group: Grasshoppers and crickets

Also at home here: Gardens and meadows