Pontia sisymbrii
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Pontia sisymbrii, the spring white, California white, or Colorado white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in mountainous areas of western Canada and the United States. It is mostly white with small black markings; females may be yellowish. Similar to other checkered whites such as, Pontia beckerii, Pontia protodice, and Pontia occidentalis.
The wingspan is 31 to 40 millimeters. The host plants are in Brassicaceae (the mustard family) and include Caulanthus, Streptanthus, and Sisymbrium altissimum, Arabis glabra, Arabis furcata, and Arabis holboelli. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Spring White sighting in Olympic National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 135th most-seen of the 207 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spring White in Olympic National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months. Those are among Olympic National Park's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 370 mm in November.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spring White sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Spring White sightings, Olympic National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 10%) and Grand Canyon National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Pieridae
The closest relatives of the Spring White that you can see in Olympic National Park (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Margined White (about 20%), Pine White (about 10%) and Julia Orangetip (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spring White is recorded against all the insects logged in Olympic National Park (13 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.
