Melanoplus bivittatus
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
Melanoplus bivittatus, the two-striped grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper belonging to the family Acrididae. It is commonly found in North America, and is especially abundant on the Canadian prairies. Melanoplus bivittatus is a relatively large species with sizes ranging from 30 to 55 mm. A pair of pale yellow stripes run along the top of its body from above its eyes to the hind tip of its wings, which gives it the names two-striped grasshopper or yellow-striped grasshopper. The species often has a yellowish green coloration throughout its body due to chromoprotein and carotenoids. The rest of the body looks similar to that of most grasshopper species, with enlarged hind legs for jumping and two pairs of wings, with one set overlapping the other.
During the winter, eggs are laid in the soil and hatch by late April to early May. At optimal conditions (25 °C, very moist), Melanoplus bivittatus eggs will stop developing at around 21 days. Once development stops, the eggs go into a state of diapause, with development continuing again in spring. Once temperatures are warm enough the eggs start hatching; the maximum rate of hatching occurs between... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Voyageurs National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 13 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Two-Striped Grasshopper sighting in Badlands National Park on a given day, based on 46 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 37 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Two-Striped Grasshopper in Badlands National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–May and October, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Two-Striped Grasshopper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 13 parks where we can rate Two-Striped Grasshopper sightings, Badlands National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 40%).
Same genus: Melanoplus
The closest relatives of the Two-Striped Grasshopper that you can see in Badlands National Park (genus Melanoplus, North American Spur-throated Grasshoppers) are Red-Legged Grasshopper (about 10%) and Differential Grasshopper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Two-Striped Grasshopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Badlands National Park (46 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
