Ornate Checkered Beetle

Ornate Checkered Beetle

Trichodes ornatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Grand Canyon National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

19 Verified sightings at Grand Canyon 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 Grand Canyon National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Ornate Checkered Beetle sighting in Grand Canyon National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 46th most-seen of the 143 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.

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

June

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Ornate Checkered Beetle in Grand Canyon National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to March, the lowest months. That is one of Grand Canyon National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 40 mm in March.

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.

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 Grand Canyon National Park (19 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.

← Back to Grand Canyon National Park