Phyllopalpus pulchellus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Phyllopalpus pulchellus, known generally as the red headed bush cricket, handsome trig or handsome bush cricket, is a species of winged bush cricket in the family Trigonidiidae. It is found in the eastern United States. The adult has a red head and thorax. Its abodomen and wings are black. Its legs are translucent green to pale yellow. The forewings of females are convex and beetle-like, and the male's wings look like that of a typical cricket's. The male's left wing is clear. The average length of Phyllopalpus pulchellus is 7–9mm.
Its song sounds like a rattling trill. It is described as being quite loud. P. pulchellus is found in the eastern United States. It can be found as north as New Hampshire and as far south as northern Florida. Its range goes as far west as Houston, Texas.
The males position their bodies in between a curved leaf or two leaves to amplify the sound of their chirps to find a mate. During courtship, males first provide females a nuptial gift before transferring a larger spermatophore. If the female does not accept the nuptial gift, the male will eat it.
The females deposit their eggs in the trunks of trees... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Headed Bush Cricket sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 334th most-seen of the 822 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July to October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Headed Bush Cricket in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to June, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-Headed Bush Cricket sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Red-Headed Bush Cricket sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Congaree National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Orthoptera
The closest relatives of the Red-Headed Bush Cricket that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (order Orthoptera, Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Katydids) are Common True Katydid (about 20%), Wingless Mountain Grasshopper (about 10%) and Carolina Leafroller Cricket (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-Headed Bush Cricket is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (14 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.
