Field Cricket - Gryllus campestris

The Field Cricket Gryllus campestris is called le Grillon champetre in French. They are robust ground dwelling insects, 17 - 23 mm long, common in fields, grassland and gardens that are not too disturbed. The males' chirping is a familiar sound of warm weather here.

Below, in April a juvenile female (wings still not covering her abdomen yet) sits on a platform in front of the burrow.
The base of the wing tends to be yellow and the hind femur is orange underneath. They live in burrows and are active both day and night. Adults can be seen sitting at the entrance to their burrows from April to September.

Photographed by Loire Valley Nature:
Photographs numbered from right to left and top to bottom. 1-2 Juvenile female at burrow entrance in the field opposite our orchard, April.