Hemaris thetis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Hemaris thetis, the Rocky Mountain clearwing or California clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1855. It is found from Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah west to California and north to British Columbia. The habitat consists of streamsides and meadows in mountainous areas.
There is probably one generation per year with adults on wing from May to August. They feed on the nectar of various flowers, including Arctostaphylos uva-ursi and Lupinus species. The larvae feed on Symphoricarpos species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rocky Mountain Clearwing sighting in Banff National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 89th most-seen of the 105 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rocky Mountain Clearwing in Banff National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and September–May, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rocky Mountain Clearwing sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Rocky Mountain Clearwing sightings, Banff National Park ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Grand Teton National Park (United States, about 10%), Glacier National Park (United States, about 10%) and Grand Canyon National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Rocky Mountain Clearwing that you can see in Banff National Park (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Bedstraw Hawkmoth (about 10%) and One-Eyed Sphinx (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rocky Mountain Clearwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Banff 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.
