Louisiana woman finds ultra-rare PINK grasshopper in her yard

The animal kingdom is filled with color - and sometimes these hues can be found in the most unexpected of places.

Such was the case this weekend in Thibodaux, Louisiana, where local mom Mary Vesich Phuphanich came across an ultra-rare pink grasshopper in her family's yard.

Immediately catching her eye, Phuphanich quickly caught the brightly colored insect, and named it Jules - an apparent reference to the critter's brilliant luster. 

She went on to hand it over to a nearby insect farm, where it is now set to go on public display.

According to officials with the Audubon Insectarium - Jules' new home - the grasshoppers are few and few between specifically because of their vibrant color, which makes them an easy target for eagle-eyed predators.

Scroll down for video: 

The animal kingdom is filled with color - and sometimes these hues can be found in the most unexpected of places. Such was the case this weekend in Thibodaux, Louisiana, where one woman came across this ultra-rare pink grasshopper crawling in her family's yard

Immediately catching her eye, mom-of-two Mary Vesich Phuphanich Phuphanich caught the insect, and named it Jules - an apparent reference to the critter's color

 Officially called a 'pink katydid', the grasshopper's pink coloring is caused by a rare mutation that happens when the bug produces more of a reddish protein than its contemporaries, a 1-in-500 occurrence compounded by its eye-catching color.

'When I was a kid, we had given a snake to the zoo,' lifelong Louisiana resident Phuphanich told WSDU in an exclusive interview of how she took the unique specimen to the Audubon Insectarium.

'It was really cool for us to be able to go back - you know, to see that we had given the snake. For us as kids, it was an experience.'

Flanked by her two children, she continued: 'So for my kids, it was awesome to be able to bring the katydid here. 

'We named the katydid Jules, and we’re just excited that it has a little family to go to.'

The critter is now set to spend the rest of its days in an enclosure, cared for around the clock by various insect experts.

Grasshoppers are usually green, brown or a combination of the two, so they can blend into their background.

It is thought the colors of pink katydid - a type of grasshopper - are caused by a genetic mutation similar to that which affects albino animals.

Unfortunately, thought, their vibrant color means they rarely survive to adulthood, as they are easily spotted and eaten by predators.  

Consequently, they are extremely rare - but one might assume otherwise when looking at the amount of pink grasshopper sightings in recent months.  

Officially called a 'pink katydid', the grasshopper's pink coloring is caused by a rare mutation that happens when the bug produces more of a reddish protein than its contemporaries, a 1-in-500 occurrence compounded by its eye-catching color.

According to officials with the Audubon Insectarium - Jules' new home - the grasshoppers are few and few between specifically because of their vibrant color, which makes them an easy target for eagle-eyed predators

In April, Arkansas middle schooler Kewana Fuller found a pink hopper at her school during recess

The last sighting before that came during St. Patrick’s Day weekend in 2022, when Dirk Parker came across the brightly colored bug while walking in the woods of East Texas, Ohio

 In April, an Arkansas middle schooler found a pink hopper at her school during recess.

'I stumbled across it and was like, "oh my gosh, is that a grasshopper?"' Kewana Fuller told KY3 of the encounter.

 'My mind was just blown because I’ve never seen something like it before.'

The last sighting before that came during St. Patrick’s Day weekend in 2022, when an Ohio environmental inspector came across the brightly colored bug while walking in the woods of East Texas

where he discovered a pink grasshopper, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.

“The pink just popped out,” Dirk Parker told NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth at the time. 'I thought, "Oh that’s cool," and I took a picture of it and went back to my hotel.'

In both cases, though, neither grasshopper was captured - with officials at the Audubon farm saying they pan to put the katydid on display for all to see.

If removed from the reach of predators, grasshopper have an average lifespan of roughly a year - so if you want to catch a glimpse of something increasinly fleeting, be sure to pay a visit to the Pelican State.