Woodland Grasshopper

Look for a dark, brownish-to-blackish grasshopper, usually with reddish hind legs — the scientific name literally means 'red-footed.' Its habit of perching in sunny woodland clearings, rather than open meadows, is itself a strong clue.

Most grasshoppers favor open grassland, but Omocestus rufipes lives in forest clearings and woody edges across Europe. That tree-associated lifestyle is exactly why its common name is 'woodland' grasshopper.

The species was described in 1821, and it belongs to the family Acrididae, the large family that includes most familiar short-horned grasshoppers. Its genus, Omocestus, is a standard European group of small, dark grasshoppers.

Adults are on the wing mainly from midsummer into early autumn, with males stridulating on warm sunny days. Clearings and rides where sun reaches the ground are the best places to look.