The Mormon Cricket, actually a type of katydid, is so-called for their invasion of agricultural lands farmed by Mormon settlers in the Great Salt Lake Basin during the 19th century, especially an outbreak in 1848. Adults can be found from June to September across the the western United States and adjacent southern Canada in open habitats with little vegetation. Although they cannot fly, this species can form migratory swarms or “bands” that travel on foot, eating almost anything (both plant and sometimes small animals) in their paths, and have been significantly destructive to rangeland and crops at times.
Size: 28-45 mm
Photo by: Nicole Sedgeley on 8/15/21 near Cooke City, MT