Ganyra josephina
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Ganyra josephina, the giant white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found from southern Texas through Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America to northern South America. The habitat consists of open, dry, subtropical forests. The wingspan is 73–96 mm (2.9–3.8 in). Adults are on wing from September to December in southern Texas. They feed on flower nectar from a variety of weeds and garden plants including Lantana, Eupatorium and Bougainvillea.
The larvae feed on older leaves of Capparidaceae species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Giant White sighting in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 39th most-seen of the 75 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Giant White in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in February–June, August and October–December, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Giant 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 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Giant White sightings, Calakmul Biosphere Reserve ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 40%).
Same family: Pieridae
The closest relatives of the Giant White that you can see in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Florida White (about 10%), Lyside Sulphur (about 10%) and Great Southern White (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Giant White is recorded against all the insects logged in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (8 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.
