Pholisora catullus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Pholisora catullus, the common sootywing or roadside rambler, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found from the central parts of the United States, south to central Mexico. Strays may colonize up to southern British Columbia, northern Michigan, southern Quebec and southern Maine. It is not found on peninsular Florida.
The wingspan is 25–33 mm. There are two generations with adults on wing from May to August in the northern part of its range and from March to November in Texas. The larvae feed on Chenopodium album, Amaranthus and Celosia species. Adults feed on flower nectar from various flowers, including dogbane, marjoram, oxalis, white clover, common milkweed, peppermint, cucumber and melon. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Sootywing sighting in Bahía de Loreto National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 50th most-seen of the 57 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Sootywing in Bahía de Loreto National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, March–September and November, the lowest months. That is one of Bahía de Loreto National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 80 mm in September.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Sootywing sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Common Sootywing sightings, Bahía de Loreto National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Big Bend National Park (United States, about 10%) and Saguaro National Park (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Common Sootywing that you can see in Bahía de Loreto National Park (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Dorantes Longtail (about 30%), White-Patched Skipper (about 20%) and Fiery Skipper (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Sootywing is recorded against all the insects logged in Bahía de Loreto National Park (5 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.
