Chlosyne californica
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Chlosyne californica, the California patch, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae found in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. It lives in desert washes and canyons in regions between southern Nevada south to southwestern Arizona, southeastern California, Baja California and Sonora.
The wingspan is 1+1⁄4–2 inches (32–51 mm). The upper side of the wings is brownish-black at the base and costal edge, with a wide yellow-orange median band and large orange submarginal spots. The underside is similar, with a red spot on the hindwing near the abdomen blending into the median band. Adults feed on flower nectar.
The larvae feed on Parish goldeneye (Bahiopsis parishii) and occasionally on sunflowers (Helianthus annuus). Austin, George T. and Anna T. Austin. 1981. Butterflies of Clark County, Nevada. Barnes, William and James Halliday McDunnough. 1916. Notes on North American diurnal Lepidoptera. Contributions to the Natural History of the Lepidoptera of North America 3(2): 49–156, 8 pls. {15 Dec 1916} Comstock, John Adams. 1927. Butterflies of California. A popular guide to... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a California Patch sighting in Grand Canyon National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 56th most-seen of the 143 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a California Patch in Grand Canyon National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most California Patch sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate California Patch sightings, Grand Canyon National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the California Patch is recorded against all the insects logged in Grand Canyon National Park (12 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.
