Ladder Grasshopper

Ladder Grasshopper

Stauroderus scalaris

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Ecrins National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

86 Verified sightings at Ecrins National Park From 2019 to 2026
404 In all 7 parks
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Ladder Grasshopper

Stauroderus scalaris, the large mountain grasshopper, is a species of 'short-horned grasshoppers' belonging to the family Acrididae subfamily Gomphocerinae. Stauroderus includes the following subspecies: Stauroderus scalaris demavendi Popov, G.B., 1951

It is the largest species of grasshopper in Europe. The basic coloration of the body varies from pale or bright green to yellow, with dark-brownish wings and tegmina. Femora of hind legs vary from yellow to reddish. In the males median and ulnar wing cells are quite large, with parallel veins. The adults usually live in colonies and the males emit whirring stridulations to attract females.

These grasshoppers can be encountered from July through September especially in high-altitude alpine meadows and pastures. This species is present in most of Europe, in the Near East, and in the eastern Palearctic realm. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~40%
2 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
3 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~30%
4 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~30%
5 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
6 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
7 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Ladder Grasshopper in Ecrins National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Ladder Grasshopper sighting in Ecrins National Park on a given day, based on 86 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 251 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Ladder Grasshopper in Ecrins National Park?

September

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Ladder Grasshopper in Ecrins National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February to May, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Ladder Grasshopper?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ladder Grasshopper sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Ecrins National Park the best place to see a Ladder Grasshopper?

3rd of 7

Of the 7 parks where we can rate Ladder Grasshopper sightings, Ecrins National Park ranks 3rd at about 30%. The best odds are in Mercantour National Park (France, about 40%) and Aigüestortes National Park (Spain, about 30%).

Where does the Ladder Grasshopper sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Ladder Grasshopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Ecrins National Park (86 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.

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