Anabrus simplex
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The Mormon cricket (Anabrus simplex) is a large insect native to western North America in rangelands dominated by sagebrush and forbs. Anabrus is a genus in the shield-backed katydid subfamily in the Tettigoniidae family, commonly called katydids, bush crickets, and previously "long-horned grasshoppers". Its common name, "Mormon cricket", is a misnomer: true crickets are of the family Gryllidae.
The Mormon cricket takes its common name from the prominent role it played in the story of the miracle of the gulls after the Mormon settlers in Utah had encountered them while pushing westward. Although flightless, the Mormon cricket may travel up to two kilometres a day in its swarming phase during which it may be a serious agricultural pest and sometimes a traffic hazard.
Mormon crickets can grow to almost 8 cm (3 inches) in length. Individuals vary in coloration: the overall color may be black, brown, red, purple or green. The pronotum, the dorsal "shield" above the prothorax, covers vestigial wings); in some specimens it bears colored markings. The abdomen may have a striped appearance. Like many Tettigoniidae, females have a long ovipositor, which should not be mistaken... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mormon Cricket sighting in Yellowstone National Park on a given day, based on 100 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 160 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Mormon Cricket in Yellowstone National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to June, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mormon Cricket sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Mormon Cricket sightings, Yellowstone National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Grand Teton National Park (United States, about 30%).
Same order: Orthoptera
The closest relatives of the Mormon Cricket that you can see in Yellowstone National Park (order Orthoptera, Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Katydids) are Two-Striped Grasshopper (about 10%), Clear-Winged Grasshopper (about 10%) and Crackling Forest Grasshopper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mormon Cricket is recorded against all the insects logged in Yellowstone National Park (100 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.
