A distinctive sound of summer

It is one of the most atmospheric aspects of summer, for it seems to remind us of calmer times and a more leisurely pace of life.

On most occasions, this highly distinctive sound comes from long grass, where these curious insects can hide, live and obtain their food.

For children and even adults, part of the fun is trying to find one or more of these chirping insects, whose noise is never far away. Quite often these amazing creatures produce a prodigious leap to carry them well away from danger, even if that danger is often non-existent.

In the case of children, the search is usually driven more by curiosity than a wish to harm them. They want to know what the chirpy things look like and they also want to know how they manage to produce such a strange noise.

When trying to educate children about grasshoppers, perhaps the first thing to tell them is that these insects are harmless.

They won't bite, sting or scratch, but children should also be told not to kill them or harm them in any way.

Sadly, lots of grasshopper seem to end their lives in jam jars full of grass as they are carried home as a trophy from the countryside - naturally, this is not advisable.

Everyone should be able to enjoy these delightful insects in their natural environment, not in captivity.

The chances are that any grasshopper you find will be green in colour so that it matches the grass or other vegetation in which it lives.

It could, however, be brown, tan or even a reddish-purple. If it is one of these basic colours, it will probably be either the common field grasshopper or the common green grasshopper.

These creatures are perhaps the most common of our grasshopper family. In each case, the female (who is slightly larger than the male) is about in in length (20mm). The main identifying feature is the enormous, long and powerful hind legs, whose joints rise higher than the insect's back.

Grasshoppers do have wings which are folded along their backs and they can fly, but only rarely do so.

The distinctive chirping noise is produced by the male and he does this to attract females. As a rule, this sound can be heard across the countryside during the whole of summer, starting in June, continuing through July and into the early days of August.

The noise is produced by a series of tiny peg-like growths on a hind leg which are vigorously rubbed against the strong edges of a fore-wing. The resultant friction creates the distinctive and far-carrying noise whose notes can vary between those required to attract a female and those which become a mating call.

There are several varieties of grasshopper in this country, some being found only in the southern parts of England. The biggest is the large marsh grasshopper, a beautiful tan-coloured insect which is resident in the marshlands of the south of England and the bogs of the west of Ireland.

It lives where plants like the bog myrtle and bog asphodel flourish and the female can grow as large as 1in (32 mm). (The bog asphodel was once used to make yellow dye for hairdressing!)

Other rarer British grasshoppers can be found in specialised habitats, such as woodland, chalky or limestone areas, sand dunes, meadows or some coastal regions.

But there is a similar insect which can still be found inside our homes and which, in most cases, is still regarded with some affection.

It is the cricket, perhaps more formally known as the house cricket to distinguish it from others like the wood cricket and various bush crickets.

House crickets are more often heard than seen and, quite often, the first intimation that one is lodging within one's home is the male's distinctive chirping sound. Like the grasshopper, this is an appeal to a willing female.

Having been introduced to this country from North Africa, house crickets cannot survive outdoors during our winters, so they enter our homes and often find the cosiest place, ie in warm and dry crevices about the building, sometimes close to an open fireplace.

It was Charles Dickens' story, The cricket in the hearth, when it appeared in his Christmas books, which provided enduring association between crickets and hearths, but he was inspired by a prevailing belief.

It had long been considered lucky to have crickets living and chirping in one's home, but if unhappiness came to the household, the cricket became silent.

It was also believed that if the crickets suddenly left the house after a long time living there, then disaster of some kind would follow. This might be a death in the family or some other misfortune. Some country people thought the chirping was the sign of an approaching thunderstorm, but the worst thing was for a white cricket to appear. That was a very bad omen indeed.

I have received a note from the North of England regional office of the RSPB at Newcastle to remind me about forthcoming cruises on The Yorkshire Belle.

These cruises, which sail from Bridlington in the East Riding, take observers around Bridlington Bay and into the North Sea, where there are wonderful opportunities to see some spectacular sea birds.

The programme of cruises comprises special half-day bird-watching trips off the Yorkshire coast from the end of August until the beginning of October and in this case they are called Skua and Shearwater Cruises.

There is always the chance that something out of the ordinary will appear, but these cruises specialise in the sighting of migrating sea birds as they pass over the North Sea.

Birds which might be sighted include pomarine skuas from Russia and sooty shearwaters from South America, as well as long-tailed skuas, gannets, Manx shearwaters and various gulls, terns and auks.

Experts will be on board to provide information and advice, and each cruise lasts about three hours.

The following are the cruise dates and departure times: Saturday, August 30 at 11.15; Sunday, August 31 at 11.45; Saturday, September 6 at 9am; Sunday, September 7 at 9am; Saturday, September 13 at 11.15; Saturday, September 20 at 9am; Sunday, September 28 at 10.45 and Saturday, October 4 at 9am.

Individual tickets cost £9 for adults and £4.50 for children, while a family ticket for two adults and two children under 14 is £25.

For more information or to make a booking call 01262 850959, or contact (with a sae) Seabird Cruises, RSPB, 11 Cliff Lane, Bempton, Bridlington, East Yorkshire YO15 1JD.

Another note comes from the National Federation of Badger Groups, whose officials are showing grave concern over the continuing theory that badgers are responsible for spreading bovine tuberculosis among cattle.

An action plan by the National Farmers' Union has proposed a badger cull, but the NFBG argues that such a cull would have no more validity than historic calls for burning witches!

The NFBG advocates a range of cattle-based measures to control bovine TB, pointing out that the disease can be found in many wild animals other than badgers, such as wood mice, shrews, stoats, deer and other mammals.

This is a very complex subject which requires yet more research and further information can be obtained from the NFBG's web site, www.badger.org.uk

Tomorrow, August 9, is the feast day of St Oswald and also Rush Bearing Day. Lots of churches, especially those dedicated to St Oswald, would hold rush bearing ceremonies on that day, although some would use hay as an alternative.

Perhaps the best known occurs at Grasmere in the Lake District, usually held on the Saturday nearest to St Oswald's feast day, although similar festivals have been revived in parts of this region.

The custom dates to the time when church floors were of earth or stone and covered with hay or rushes.

These were renewed before major events such as feast days of local patron saints, but the practice fell into disuse as churches installed more modern floor-coverings. Rush bearing ceremonies serve as reminders