Crickets and Grasshoppers belong to the order Orthoptera. There are four main families within this order, including Grasshoppers, Groundhoppers, Bush Crickets and True Crickets.

The current UK list contains around 30 species, including several known migrants/accidentals.

Nottinghamshire currently has 15 species on it's list, following the relatively recent arrival of an additional three new species. Lesser Marsh Grasshopper first appeared in Nottinghamshire in 2000 and is now described as being widespread and common at many sites. Roesel's Bush Cricket arrived in the county near Clifton during 2006 and was then found at Collingham, Stoke Bardolph and Langford Lowfields in August 2007. The same month also saw Nottinghamshire's first record of Long-winged Cone-head at Keyworth Meadow in the far south of the county. Since then, both Long-winged Conehead and Roesel's have turned up at Netherfield and presumably other Trent Valley sites, although the former species is probably still more restricted in range.

Perhaps the most restricted species in the county is the Stripe-winged Grasshopper, which (in 2008 at least) was still only to be found at Budby South Forest. The Speckled Bush Cricket is now known from four sites in Notts, but is probably under-recorded, whilst the House Cricket is very rarely reported now. Nottinghamshire's two species of Groundhopper, are both classed as being of conservation concern because of their specific habitat requirements. Groundhoppers are much smaller than adult Grasshoppers and often easily missed. There are several known sites in the Dukeries for the Common Groundhopper and both it, and the Slender Groundhopper are probably also overlooked.

Our thanks must go to Roy Frost (the Orthoptera recorder for Nottinghamshire) for providing information regarding the status of some of the rarer Crickets and Grasshoppers across Nottinghamshire.