Hop To It!

The Large marsh is Brtain's biggest grasshopper. As the name suggests, this grasshopper lives only in wet locations. In the UK, the Large marsh grasshopper has been endangered by habitat fragmentation (largely by draining areas but also a consequence of climate change). The beastie also has limited powers of dispersion. It is consequently difficult for it to repopulate areas from which it has disappeared. The Citizen Zoo organisation have been breeding this grasshopper in captivity. These enthusiasts now plan to release it in marshes and fens across East Anglia (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/26/grasshopper-bred-in-captivity-returns-to-east-anglia-marshes). More than 2000 Large marsh grasshoppers (adults and nymphs) have, thus far, been released by Citizen Zoo on land controlled by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. This is a licenced release approved by Natural England. This is important, because amateur enthusiasts have to be careful not to release the wrong animals in the wrong areas. There are numerous examples (e.g. the Cane toad in Australia), where releases have gone horribly wrong.