Pontia occidentalis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Pontia occidentalis, the western white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Western North America. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western White sighting in Calgary on a given day, based on 161 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 26th most-seen of the 256 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Western White in Calgary on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and October–March, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western White sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Western White sightings, Calgary has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Edmonton (Canada, about 10%).
Same family: Pieridae
The closest relatives of the Western White that you can see in Calgary (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Small White (about 20%) and Clouded Sulphur (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western White is recorded against all the insects logged in Calgary (161 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.
