Ornate Checkered Beetle

Ornate Checkered Beetle

Trichodes ornatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Channel Islands National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

7 Verified sightings at Channel Islands National Park From 2019 to 2026
669 In all 14 parks
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Ornate Checkered Beetle

Trichodes ornatus, commonly known as ornate checkered beetle, is a beetle species of checkered beetles belonging to the family Cleridae, subfamily Clerinae which can be found only in North America. Larvae live in bee nests of mostly Megachilidae family species and are parasitic. While in the nest they feed on the bees' larvae or pollen. When they mature into an adult they begin feeding on yarrow, milkweed, and other plants of yellow colouration. The species males are 5–11 millimetres (0.20–0.43 in) long while females are 7–15 millimetres (0.28–0.59 in).

Media related to Trichodes ornatus at Wikimedia Commons Trichodes ornatus images Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
2 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
5 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
6 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
11 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
12 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
13 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
14 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Phoenix 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Mesa 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Ornate Checkered Beetle in Channel Islands National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Ornate Checkered Beetle sighting in Channel Islands National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 102nd most-seen of the 131 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Ornate Checkered Beetle in Channel Islands National Park?

March

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Ornate Checkered Beetle in Channel Islands National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and June–February, the lowest months. That is one of Channel Islands National Park's wettest months, with about 60 mm of rain against almost none in July.

What time of day is best to see an Ornate Checkered Beetle?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

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

Where does the Ornate Checkered Beetle sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Ornate Checkered Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Channel Islands 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.

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