Arctia parthenos
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
Arctia parthenos, the St. Lawrence tiger moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae. It was described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1850. It is found in boreal North America, ranging from Alaska to Labrador, south to New Mexico and Arizona in the Rocky Mountains and to North Carolina in the Appalachian Mountains. The habitat consists of riparian areas and mixed hardwood-conifer forests at middle to high elevations.
The length of the forewings is 28–33 mm. Adults are on wing from late May until early August in one generation per year. The larvae feed on various plants, including Salix, Alnus and Betula species. This species was formerly a member of the genus Platarctia, but was moved to Arctia along with the other species of the genera Acerbia, Pararctia, Parasemia, Platarctia, and Platyprepia. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a St. Lawrence Tiger Moth sighting in Jasper National Park on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 88 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a St. Lawrence Tiger Moth in Jasper National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May and October–March, the lowest months. That is one of Jasper National Park's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain against 55 mm in April.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most St. Lawrence Tiger Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate St. Lawrence Tiger Moth sightings, Jasper National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 20%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the St. Lawrence Tiger Moth that you can see in Jasper National Park (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Police Car Moth (about 20%), Spotted Tussock Moth (about 10%) and Herald Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the St. Lawrence Tiger Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Jasper National Park (24 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.
