Nature Inquiries

by Carl Strang

This is the story that made my participation in the Connor Prairie Bioblitz worth the trip. Beginning in 2008, I have heard occasional cricket trills that sounded identical to those of Say’s trigs, but were too early in the season. In 2008 my office was at Fullersburg Woods Forest Preserve, and on June 27 I heard one of those odd early songs. I also noted them on July 8 and 14 that year. In 2009 the first Say’s trig was singing on a more reasonable August 6, and in 2011 on July 31. In 2010 the first was on July 19 at Waterfall Glen, a little marginal perhaps but acceptable. Then last year I heard one near the Fox River in Kane County on June 10. Granted, last year was early phenologically, but this was completely out of line. I speculated that perhaps a rare few Say’s trigs hatched early and successfully overwintered as nymphs.

Then came last weekend’s bioblitz at Connor Prairie. This is too early to expect much singing insect action in the woods, so I headed straight to the large prairie restoration project west of the interpretive center.

View of the restored prairie from the balloon.

The same area at ground level. This prairie first was seeded around 5 years ago.

There were plenty of spring field crickets chirping, as expected. But as I approached the taller grasses I also began to hear trills. Lots of them. Furthermore, they sounded just like Say’s trigs. On June 8. I began stalking these singers. Several times I got within 2-3 feet, but was never able to see one of the singing crickets in the dense grasses. When my approach stopped the singing, the cricket was able to outwait me. I was fairly certain they were above the ground, and so probably were not ground crickets. They became quiet in late morning. I heard one singing briefly in the afternoon, but that was it.

In the evening I returned, and as the sun slid to the horizon I was pleased to find that the mystery crickets were singing again. Again I tried stalking, and again was frustrated. Then, when yet another cricket stopped singing when I got within 2 feet, I shuffled my feet through the grass clump where his perch seemed to be, and up he hopped. I caught him in a vial.

He was a brown trig, but his head was entirely dark rather than pale with dark stripes as is characteristic of Say’s trig. I made the necessary decision and collected him.

Here he is, pinned and drying. The uniformly colored head is distinctive.

The color, size and shape otherwise are similar to Say’s trig.

I returned the next morning, but was unable to flush another male or sweep-net a female. None of my printed references mentioned anything like this cricket. I was able to connect to the Connor Prairie’s Wi-Fi, and searched the Singing Insects of North America website. Imagine my elation when I found it! This is an unusual instance of a species getting a common name before its scientific name is assigned. It has been designated the spring trig, Anaxipha species G. The SINA spreadsheet lists May and June dates, and gives a range that includes Indiana and Illinois, though apparently my cricket is the first specimen for Indiana. So, now there is another species to listen for in my travels. I will want to get some definition of this species’ season relative to Say’s trig. The reasonable assumption is that, unlike other Anaxipha, the spring trig overwinters as a nymph.