De veldkrekel Gryllus campestris in Zeeuws-vlaanderen (Orthoptera)

The fieldcricket Gryllus campestris in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen (Orthoptera) In 1997 and 2000 some fieldcrickets (Gryllus campestris) were observed in a grassland within a forest (Clingse Bos) in Zeeuws- Vlaanderen. These are the first records since the 1950’s in this area. Because no fieldcrickets were observed in 1998 and 1999 it is thought that the animals have migrated from a nearby population just across the Belgian border. The topsoil of the grassland has been removed locally to expose the sandy soil, to increase the chances for the fieldcricket to establish a population. Together with the rediscovery of a population in Schouwen the future for the fieldcricket in the southwest of the Netherlands looks a bit more promising.