Gray Buckeye
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Mesa

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

10 Verified sightings at Mesa
312 In all 8 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Gray Buckeye

Junonia grisea, also known as the gray buckeye, grey buckeye, or Western buckeye, is a species in the butterfly family Nymphalidae. It is found in North America, west of the Rocky Mountains. Like the common buckeye, the gray buckeye is a brown butterfly with eyespots on its wings that distract predators from its body.

Junonia grisea was formerly considered a subspecies of the common buckeye, Junonia coenia, called Junonia coenia grisea. The gray buckeye's status as a separate species was discovered in 2018 by Dr. Jeffrey Marcus, an entomologist at the University of Manitoba, and Melanie Lalonde, a graduate student. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 San Diego 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Phoenix 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Mesa 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Gray Buckeye in Mesa?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Buckeye sighting in Mesa on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 152nd most-seen of the 232 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.

When is the best time to see a Gray Buckeye in Mesa?

January, April, June, September and November

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Buckeye in Mesa on a given day, against under 5% in February–March, May, July–August, October and December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Gray Buckeye?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gray Buckeye sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Mesa the best place to see a Gray Buckeye?

6th of 6

Of the 6 cities where we can rate Gray Buckeye sightings, Mesa ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Sacramento (United States, about 20%), San Francisco (United States, about 20%) and Los Angeles (United States, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Gray Buckeye live in Mesa?

Same family: Nymphalidae

The closest relatives of the Gray Buckeye that you can see in Mesa (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Queen (about 30%), Monarch (about 20%) and Painted Lady (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Gray Buckeye sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Gray Buckeye is recorded against all the insects logged in Mesa (10 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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