California Tortoiseshell

California Tortoiseshell

Nymphalis californica

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Los Angeles

In 3 days ~10%

16 Verified sightings at Los Angeles
525 In all 9 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the California Tortoiseshell

The California tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica) is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
2 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
3 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
5 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
6 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a California Tortoiseshell in Los Angeles?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a California Tortoiseshell sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 454th most-seen of the 851 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a California Tortoiseshell in Los Angeles?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a California Tortoiseshell in Los Angeles on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a California Tortoiseshell?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

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

Is Los Angeles the best place to see a California Tortoiseshell?

7th of 8

Of the 8 cities where we can rate California Tortoiseshell sightings, Los Angeles ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Salt Lake City (United States, about 10%), Portland (United States, about 10%) and San Francisco (United States, about 10%).

Where does the California Tortoiseshell sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the California Tortoiseshell is recorded against all the insects logged in Los Angeles (16 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.

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