Heliopetes ericetorum
In 3 days ~10%
Heliopetes ericetorum, the northern white-skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in North America in the United States from eastern Washington south to western Colorado, southern California and Arizona, and in Baja California in north-western Mexico. The habitat consists of open woodland, chaparral, dry washes, desert mountains and arid lands.
There are two broods per year, with adults on wing from April to October. Adult males are mostly white with black chevrons along the wings' margins. Adult females' marginal markings are larger and darker, and their wings have more gray or black at the base.
Larvae feed on the leaves of mallow species, including Sphaeralcea, Althaea and Malva species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Northern White-Skipper sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 404th most-seen of the 737 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Northern White-Skipper in San Francisco on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern White-Skipper 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 3 cities where we can rate Northern White-Skipper sightings, San Francisco ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Los Angeles (United States, under 5%) and San Diego (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Northern White-Skipper that you can see in San Francisco (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Umber Skipper (about 20%), Fiery Skipper (about 20%) and Common Checkered-Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern White-Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (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.
