An incredible amount of grasshopper species live in Quebec!

Trying to list them all would be impossible. 🙂

So below, you will find the most common and abundant insects found in the order Orthoptera. This includes not only grasshoppers but also crickets and katydids.

11 Grasshoppers in Quebec:

#1. Two-striped Grasshopper

Melanoplus bivittatus

Adults are typically 1.2 to 2 inches (3 to 5 cm) long.
They are usually green or tan, with two pale yellow stripes running along the top of their bodies from above their eyes to the hind tips of their wings.
They have green or buff hind tibia with black spines.

These grasshoppers are well adapted to various habitats in Quebec!

They can call so many areas home because of their diet. Two-striped Grasshoppers aren’t picky and will feed on grasses, herbaceous or woody plants, seed pods, flowers, and crops.

When food is scarce, Two-striped Grasshoppers scavenge on dead plants and animals. They also occasionally resort to cannibalism!

These grasshoppers can be a lot of fun to find and catch. However, many insect lovers have found out the hard way that Two-striped Grasshoppers are quick to bite when handled. 🙂

#2. Green-striped Grasshopper

Chortophaga viridifasciata

Adults are bright, grassy green with some pinkish brown on the legs and head.
They range in length from 1-1.5 in (23-38 mm)
Their wings are long and slender and usually a dull brown color.

Look for Green-striped Grasshoppers in moist areas of Quebec.

These insects are easiest to find in early summer when the adult females lay eggs. As the summer progresses, the grasshoppers move through the five stages of their life cycle. Because Green-striped Grasshoppers survive over winter and emerge as adults, they’re usually the first to appear in backyards!

You’re almost guaranteed to find these critters if you have a large yard or garden. They love to eat grass and other succulent plants, including many garden favorites!

#3. Carolina Grasshopper

Dissosteira carolina

Adults grow from 1.2-2.3 in (32–58 mm) in length.
Their coloring is a light brown to tan or gray, which allows them to hide in their environment.
They have large wings that flap dramatically in flight, and people often confuse them with butterflies.

Carolina Grasshoppers are found all over Quebec.

Their range includes many climates, and their diet varies depending on their habitat. For example, in pastureland or open fields, they primarily eat grasses. However, these grasshoppers will consume weeds and other less desirable plants in less fertile areas.

These grasshoppers are diurnal, meaning they are primarily active during the day and rest at night. However, don’t be surprised to find one near a light source in the late evening. They’re very attracted to lights! They live mostly on the ground and rarely climb or fly into trees.

#4. Red-legged Grasshopper

Melanoplus femurrubrum

Adults typically range from 0.67 to 1.2 inches (1.7 to 3 cm) long.
Their color varies from reddish-brown to yellow, dark brown, green, or olive green. Their bright red or yellowish hindlegs feature a black herringbone pattern.
Their wings typically extend beyond the tip of their abdomen.

You may have spotted these grasshoppers in Quebec flying away as you walk through open habitats like yards, croplands, open floodplains, vacant lots, meadows, and prairies. When startled, they can fly distances of 40 feet (12.2 m)!

These grasshoppers have to be quick to stay alive. They’re an important food source for wildlife like turkeys and quail.

Red-legged Grasshoppers feed on various grasses and other plants, including goldenrod, dandelion, clover, and vetch. But interestingly, when food is scarce, Red-legged Grasshoppers develop longer wings, allowing them to fly to new areas searching for food.

#5. Fork-tailed Bush Katydid

Scudderia furcata

Adults usually range from 1.5 to 1.75 inches (3.8 to 4.4 cm) long.
They are leafy-green with long green antennae but may have pinkish, brownish, or rusty tinges, especially in autumn.
Females have a brownish or purplish ovipositor, a sword-like appendage at the tip of their abdomen.

These katydids make one of the classic sounds of the night in Quebec.

Fork-tailed Bush Katydids are one of about 250 species of katydids or “bush crickets” found in North America. Unlike true grasshoppers, they spend most of their time in trees and shrubs and rarely descend to the ground.

These bright green insects are nocturnal. They spend their nights feeding on the flowers, foliage, and fruit of the trees and shrubs they call home. Don’t worry, gardeners; they rarely cause significant damage.

Katydids can be incredibly hard to spot because they blend perfectly with the leaves. If you get lucky, you may spot one on a tree trunk or around an outdoor light at night.

If you find a katydid, you should handle them with care. While not aggressive, they can give a good pinch if handled roughly.

#6. Pine Tree Spur-throat Grasshopper

Melanoplus punctulatus

Adults are 1-1.7 in (27-45 mm) long.
Their coloring is light tan or gray with black, brown, or greenish-mottled spots.
They have large eyes, relatively short legs, and slender wings.

Pine Tree Spur-Throat Grasshoppers are sometimes found in their namesake trees but also inhabit many other trees in Quebec. They eat the leaves of the trees where they live. Look for them in open forests from July to September.

This species is primarily nocturnal, meaning it is most active at night.

However, they are attracted to light sources, so if you have a light on in the evening, you might see some.

#7. Fall Field Cricket

Gryllus pennsylvanicus

Adults are 0.6–1.0 in (15–25 mm) long.
Their coloring is dark brown to black, sometimes with a reddish tint.
They have very long antennae and short wings.

This species is one of the most widespread crickets in Quebec.

Fall Field Crickets are relatively large and easy to spot because of their dark color. As their name suggests, they live in open fields and yards with plenty of grass, their preferred food source. They also eat small invertebrates and insect eggs.

If you’ve heard these crickets chirping on a late summer evening, you know their call can be extremely loud! The males perform their call to attract females so that they can reproduce.

#8. Short-winged Meadow Katydid

Conocephalus brevipennis

Adults are 0.4-0.6 in (12-16 mm) long.
They have bright green bodies with brown wings and legs.
Their eyes are large, and their antennae and legs are very long.

Look for these Katydids in late summer through fall, when they are active and reproducing. They make a call similar to other Katydids, which sounds like someone saying their name.

You can recognize this particular insect by its short wings, which are often only a fraction of its body length. In contrast, its legs are very long and stick out quite a bit from its body.

#9. Slender Meadow Katydid

Conocephalus fasciatus

Adults are 0.7-1 in (18–26 mm) long.
Their coloring is a combination of brown and green.
These insects have a slender body and long wings.

You can find Slender Meadow Katydids in various habitats in Quebec.

These insects prefer grassy or weedy land in pastures, open woods, and backyards. Unlike many of their relatives, this species has a soft call. It sounds like a series of clicks and buzzing, and each call lasts 1-20 seconds.

Slender Meadow Katydids eat grass and grass seeds, so anywhere with overgrown grasses is a good place to start searching for these bugs.

#10. Narrow-winged Tree Cricket

Oecanthus niveus

Adults are 0.5-0.6 in (13-16 mm) long.
They are light green with orange on the top of the head.
Their wings are thin, narrow, and translucent, with the appearance of plastic wrap.

Look for these crickets in broad-leaf trees in Quebec.

They spend most of their time in man-made orchards, deciduous forests, and shrubbery. They can live their entire lives within the foliage, eating leaves there.

Like other crickets, Narrow-winged Tree Crickets seem able to tell the weather! Their call is faster and higher-pitched during warmer weather. In comparison, their call is slower and lower in pitch during cooler nights.

#11. Crackling Forest Grasshopper

Trimerotropis verruculata

Adults are 1-1.5 in (28-38 mm) long.
Their coloring is a dull grayish-brown with light gray markings. It resembles granite.
They have stout, compact bodies and very short legs.

Crackling Forest Grasshoppers are found in mountainous forests in Quebec.

Their common name comes from the cracking noise they make in flight.

Their coloring is particularly useful as camouflage against their normal habitat, which includes rocky slopes, mountain ledges, and open mountain forests. They primarily eat grasses and forbs.

Did you like learning about the grasshoppers that live in Quebec?

Check out these ID guides that focus specifically on different insects and arachnids in Quebec.

Do you need additional help identifying grasshoppers in Quebec?

If so, check out this excellent ID guide!

National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects of North America

11 Grasshopper Species found in Quebec!