Diplolepis polita
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Diplolepis polita, known generally as the spiny leaf gall wasp, is a species of gall wasp in the family Cynipidae. It was first described by William Harris Ashmead in 1890. This species induces galls on several species of wild roses in North America, including Rosa arkansana and Rosa acicularis. The galls are formed on the leaves in spring and early summer and are spherical with short spikes. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp sighting in Isle Royale National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 38th most-seen of the 48 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.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp sightings, Isle Royale National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 20%) and Kluane National Park (Canada, about 20%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp that you can see in Isle Royale National Park (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Bald-Faced Hornet (about 10%), Hercules Carpenter Ant (about 10%) and Sanderson's Bumble Bee (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Isle Royale National Park (6 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.
