by Louis Harrell
Every year, Discover Life invites citizen scientists of all levels to identify the calls of crickets and katydids in the District of Columbia, the Baltimore area, and Northern Virginia. This year’s annual “cricket crawl” will be on the evening of August 21, 2020, any time after 8:30 pm. It is a particularly good event for 2020 because it is led by individuals and families in their own yards or other open areas where they can socially distance safely. The rain date is August 22. This project is a collaborative venture between Discover Life, The Audubon Naturalist Society, and The Natural History Society of Maryland.
Participants must first learn to differentiate between the six species of crickets and katydids being tracked that are common to the region. These are:
- Jumping Bush Cricket (Orocharis saltator)
- Japanese Burrowing Cricket (Velarifictorus micado)
- Greater Anglewing (Microcentrum rhombifolium)
- Lesser Anglewing (Microcentrum retinerve)
- Oblong-winged Katydid (Amblycorypha oblongifolia)
- Common True Katydid (Pterophylla camellifolia)
So, how do you learn to identify the different calls? There are a couple of ways:
The best way is to register for a Zoom Cricket Crawl prep event that will be given by Ken Rosenthal on Tuesday, August 18th at 7:00 pm. You can register here for Program #642840-H, by 4pm on August 17. Ken will send you a link on the day of the presentation. If you miss the deadline, contact him directly at Krosenthal@arlingtonva.us. At Ken’s presentation, you will learn to identify the different calls, how and why they sing, and more.
In the alternative, you can click on Discover Life’s Cricket and Katydid species page to view the insects’ photos and listen to their calls.
Then, on the night of August 21st, between 8:30 and about 11:30, record the data requested on the “Cricket Crawl Data Form” at the Discover Life home page. Record only one collection for each location you survey but try to cover many locations with one minute surveys. Note the address or cross streets for each location. Put some distance between sites — 1/4 mile is very safe. You can submit your results to the cricket hotline at (240) 801-6878 or email the form to: speciesobs@gmail.com. You may also contact this email address with additional questions. Jen Soles, Jsoles@arlingtonva.us, can be contacted with any questions about the survey in Arlington or elsewhere in Northern Virginia.
For more information visit: https://www.discoverlife.org/cricket/DC/.