I’m a huge fan of science-fiction B-movies and they don’t come any better (or worse) than 1957’s ‘Beginning of the End’. It’s the usual story; overeager government scientists intent on increasing crop yield inadvertently create giant irradiated grasshoppers the size of double decker buses which set about destroying Chicago. There are some similar creatures lurking around Sussex. OK they’re not going to come stomping round Horsham any day soon but they’re still mighty impressive.

The great green bush cricket can claim to be Britain’s biggest insect. Yet this Godzilla of the undergrowth is surprisingly hard to see. Its long leaf-like body blends in amongst the brambles rendering it almost invisible. Bug eyes, impressive jaws and twirling antennae give it some monster movie credentials but there’s nothing to fear from this harmless native.

There are about 35 species of crickets and grasshoppers (orthoptera) in Britain. Crickets differ from grasshoppers by having much longer, thread-like antennae and they ‘sing’ by rubbing their wings together (while grasshoppers rub their legs against their wings).

This song or stridulation is the male’s way of romancing a female – who, if interested, will reply. The best chance of finding the great green bush cricket is to head out on a warm August evening and listen for their duets – a loud, incessant rattle. Imagine a maraca player after drinking too much coffee.

Last month I was leading a wildlife walk through the flower-rich meadows of our Woods Mill reserve and I was blown away by the wall of sound created by hundreds of crickets and grasshoppers but it became apparent that not everyone could hear this orthopteran orchestra. The sad truth is that as we get older our ears can’t tune in to the higher frequencies produced by these insects and species by species they fall silent.

I have a compilation CD of the chirps and buzzes of Britain’s crickets and grasshoppers – a sort of ‘Now That’s What I Call Stridulation’. I played it this morning and track 24 had gone. It was there a few years ago but now… silence.

I’ve started to lose my crickets! The beginning of the end. It isn’t just me who will be hearing less wildlife in the future. Our countryside is becoming quieter as crickets, bees and birds vanish.

Over the decades changes in agricultural practices have made large parts of England unnaturally peaceful. The ‘Silent Spring’ predicted by Rachel Carson in 1962 has seeped across every season.

Our ‘Wilder Horsham District’ project is aiming to restore these grassland habitats so that future generations can still experience the sounds of an English summer.

By Michael Blencowe: Learning & Engagement Officer, Sussex Wildlife Trust

Grasshopper Andrew Holloways Sussex Wildlife Trust