Leptinotarsa decemlineata
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata; also known as the Colorado beetle, the ten-striped spearman, the ten-lined potato beetle, and the potato bug) is a beetle known for being a major pest of potato crops. It is about 10 mm (3⁄8 in) long, with a bright yellow/orange body and five bold brown stripes along the length of each of its wings. Native to the Rocky Mountains, it spread rapidly in potato crops across the United States and then Europe from 1859 onwards.
The Colorado potato beetle was first observed in 1811 by Thomas Nuttall and was formally described in 1824 by American entomologist Thomas Say. The beetles were collected in the Rocky Mountains, where they were feeding on the buffalo bur, Solanum rostratum.
Adult beetles typically are 6–11 mm (0.24–0.43 in) in length and 3 mm (0.12 in) in width. They weigh 50–170 mg. The beetles are orange-yellow in color with 10 characteristic black stripes on their front wings or elytra. The specific name decemlineata, meaning "ten-lined", derives from this feature.
Adult beetles may be visually confused with L. juncta, which is the false potato beetle. Unlike the Colorado potato beetle, it is not an agricultural... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 3 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 2 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Essen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Kyiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 6 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 7 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 8 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 9 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 10 | Lyon | 🇫🇷 France |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Colorado Potato Beetle sighting in Badlands National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 37 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.
June
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Colorado Potato Beetle in Badlands National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–May and September–November, the lowest months. That is one of Badlands National Park's wettest months, with about 60 mm of rain against 15 mm in January.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Colorado Potato Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Colorado Potato Beetle sightings, Badlands National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Tatra National Park (Slovakia, about 10%) and Białowieża National Park (Poland, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Colorado Potato Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Badlands National Park (15 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.
