Vespula alascensis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Vespula alascensis, also referred to as Alaska yellowjacket or American yellowjacket, is a species of yellowjacket that inhabits North America. Although it was named in 1870, it was, until 2010, treated as a taxonomic synonym of a related species, Vespula vulgaris, but is now recognized as a distinct taxon. Generally it nests in the ground. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an American Yellowjacket sighting in Calgary on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 115th most-seen of the 256 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Yellowjacket in Calgary on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Yellowjacket sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 9
Of the 9 cities where we can rate American Yellowjacket sightings, Calgary ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Anchorage (United States, about 20%), Seattle (United States, about 10%) and Portland (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Vespula
The closest relatives of the American Yellowjacket that you can see in Calgary (genus Vespula, Ground Yellowjackets) are Western Yellowjacket (about 10%) and Prairie Yellowjacket (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American Yellowjacket is recorded against all the insects logged in Calgary (18 verified sightings), 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.
