Pontia occidentalis
In 3 days ~30% 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 Elk Island National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 97th most-seen of the 112 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Western White in Elk Island National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to July, the lowest months. That is one of Elk Island National Park's wettest months, with about 75 mm of rain against 20 mm in December.
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.
4th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Western White sightings, Elk Island National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Glacier National Park (United States, about 20%), Banff National Park (Canada, about 10%) and Jasper National Park (Canada, about 10%).
Same family: Pieridae
The closest relatives of the Western White that you can see in Elk Island National Park (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Mustard White (about 30%), Clouded Sulphur (about 20%) and Small White (about 20%), 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 Elk Island National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
