Pyrisitia proterpia
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Eurema proterpia, the tailed orange, is a North and South American butterfly in the family Pieridae. The upperside of the wings is orange with a variable amount of black along the forewing costa. The wing veins are lightly marked with black in summer individuals, and winter individuals have no black veins. Males reflect UV light on their upper sides, and some females can be white. The underside of the wings varies depending on the season. Summer individuals are yellow orange with the hindwing slightly pointed. Winter individuals are brown with darker brown markings with the hindwing being much more pointed. The wingspan measures 1+1⁄4 to 1+3⁄4 inches (32–44 mm).
The only similar species in the tailed orange's range is the sleepy orange (Eurema nicippe). The sleepy orange has a black forewing cell spot on the upperside, the upperside of the hindwing has a black marginal border, and the hindwing is not pointed.
The tailed orange lives in a variety of open habitats such as open woodlands, deserts and subtropical habitats. This species may be found from mid-July to early January in Arizona, from August to November in Texas... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tailed Orange sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 221st most-seen of the 329 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.
October and November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Tailed Orange in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to September, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tailed Orange sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Tailed Orange sightings, Big Bend National Park ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Cañón del Sumidero National Park (Mexico, about 10%), Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (Mexico, about 10%) and Saguaro National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Pieridae
The closest relatives of the Tailed Orange that you can see in Big Bend National Park (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Sleepy Orange (about 30%), Lyside Sulphur (about 30%) and Dainty Sulphur (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tailed Orange is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Bend 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.
