Pontia occidentalis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 Edmonton on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 119th most-seen of the 390 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August to October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western White in Edmonton on a given day, against under 5% in November to July, 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.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Western White sightings, Edmonton ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Calgary (Canada, about 10%).
Same family: Pieridae
The closest relatives of the Western White that you can see in Edmonton (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Small White (about 10%), Clouded Sulphur (about 10%) and Mustard White (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 Edmonton (25 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.
