Theona Checkerspot

Theona Checkerspot

Thessalia theona

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Big Bend National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

25 Verified sightings at Big Bend National Park From 2019 to 2026
137 In all 11 parks
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~30%
2 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
~30%
3 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
4 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~20%
5 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
6 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
7 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
10 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
11 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Managua 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
~20%
2 San Pedro Sula 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
3 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Monterrey 🇲🇽 México
<5%
5 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Theona Checkerspot in Big Bend National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Theona Checkerspot sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 64th most-seen of the 329 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.

When is the best time to see a Theona Checkerspot in Big Bend National Park?

May–June and August–October

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Theona Checkerspot in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and December–February, the lowest months. Those are among Big Bend National Park's wettest months, with about 35 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in April.

What time of day is best to see a Theona Checkerspot?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Theona Checkerspot sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Big Bend National Park the best place to see a Theona Checkerspot?

8th of 11

Of the 11 parks where we can rate Theona Checkerspot sightings, Big Bend National Park ranks 8th at about 10%. The best odds are in Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 30%), Masaya Volcano National Park (Nicaragua, about 30%) and Ostional Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Theona Checkerspot live in Big Bend National Park?

Same family: Nymphalidae

The closest relatives of the Theona Checkerspot that you can see in Big Bend National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Empress Leilia (about 40%), Queen (about 30%) and Limenitis bredowii (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Theona Checkerspot sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Theona Checkerspot is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Bend National Park (25 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.

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