Pontia occidentalis
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Pontia occidentalis, the western white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Western North America. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western White sighting in Banff National Park on a given day, based on 39 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 105 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Western White in Banff National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to July, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western White sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Western White sightings, Banff National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Glacier National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Pieridae
The closest relatives of the Western White that you can see in Banff National Park (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Christina Sulphur (about 10%), Clouded Sulphur (about 10%) and Small White (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western White is recorded against all the insects logged in Banff National Park (39 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.
