Diplolepis polita
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Diplolepis polita, known generally as the spiny leaf gall wasp, is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae. It was first described by William Harris Ashmead in 1890. This species induces galls on several species of wild roses in North America, including Rosa arkansana and Rosa acicularis. The galls are formed on the leaves in spring and early summer and are spherical with short spikes. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp sighting in Banff National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 64th most-seen of the 105 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp in Banff National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp sightings, Banff National Park ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 20%), Kluane National Park (Canada, about 20%) and Isle Royale National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp that you can see in Banff National Park (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Black-Tailed Bumble Bee (about 10%), Vancouver Bumble Bee (about 10%) and Fuzzy-Horned Bumble Bee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Banff National Park (7 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.
