Ornate Checkered Beetle

Ornate Checkered Beetle

Trichodes ornatus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Glacier National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

60 Verified sightings at Glacier National Park From 2019 to 2026
669 In all 14 parks
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Ornate Checkered Beetle

Trichodes ornatus, commonly known as ornate checkered beetle, is a beetle species of checkered beetles belonging to the family Cleridae, subfamily Clerinae which can be found only in North America. Larvae live in bee nests of mostly Megachilidae family species and are parasitic. While in the nest they feed on the bees' larvae or pollen. When they mature into an adult they begin feeding on yarrow, milkweed, and other plants of yellow colouration. The species males are 5–11 millimetres (0.20–0.43 in) long while females are 7–15 millimetres (0.28–0.59 in).

Media related to Trichodes ornatus at Wikimedia Commons Trichodes ornatus images Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
2 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
5 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
6 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
11 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
12 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
13 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
14 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

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

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Ornate Checkered Beetle in Glacier National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Ornate Checkered Beetle sighting in Glacier National Park on a given day, based on 60 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 21st most-seen of the 147 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Ornate Checkered Beetle in Glacier National Park?

June

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Ornate Checkered Beetle in Glacier National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–May and September–November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see an Ornate Checkered Beetle?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ornate Checkered Beetle 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 Glacier National Park the best place to see an Ornate Checkered Beetle?

3rd of 14

Of the 14 parks where we can rate Ornate Checkered Beetle sightings, Glacier National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Death Valley National Park (United States, about 40%) and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Ornate Checkered Beetle live in Glacier National Park?

Same order: Coleoptera

The closest relatives of the Ornate Checkered Beetle that you can see in Glacier National Park (order Coleoptera, Beetles) are White-Spotted Sawyer (about 30%), Yellow Velvet Beetle (about 20%) and Flying Saucer Lady Beetle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Ornate Checkered Beetle sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Ornate Checkered Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Glacier National Park (60 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.

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