Parnassius clodius
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Parnassius clodius is a species of white butterfly which is found in the United States and Canada. It is a member of the snow Apollo genus (Parnassius) of the swallowtail family (Papilionidae). Its elevation range is 0–7,000 ft (0–2,134 m).
The wing pattern in Parnassius species is inconsistent and the very many subspecies and forms make identification problematic and uncertain. Structural characters derived from the genitalia, wing venation, sphragis and foretibial epiphysis are more, but not entirely reliable. The description given here is a guide only. For an identification key see Ackery P.R. (1975).
Ground-colour white, only in the female the short costal band placed outside the cell connected with the hindmarginal spot by an irregular dusty band, the glossy submarginal band of the forewing sharp but narrow, the male with small, the female with larger, crescent-shaped submarginal spots on the hindwing; on the latter the anal spot mostly centred with red. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Clodius Parnassian sighting in Olympic National Park on a given day, based on 116 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 207 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.
June to August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Clodius Parnassian in Olympic National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to May, the lowest months. Those are among Olympic National Park's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain a month against 370 mm in November.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Clodius Parnassian sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Clodius Parnassian sightings, Olympic National Park ranks 4th at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Yosemite National Park (United States, about 20%), Grand Teton National Park (United States, about 20%) and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Clodius Parnassian is recorded against all the insects logged in Olympic National Park (116 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.
