Western Aphideater

Western Aphideater

Eupeodes fumipennis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Olympic National Park

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

8 Verified sightings at Olympic National Park From 2019 to 2026
45 In all 6 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Western Aphideater

Eupeodes fumipennis, the western aphideater, is a species of hover fly in the family Syrphidae. As the common name implies, larvae prey on plant-sucking insects, primarily aphids. Like other members of the family, adults often hover over the plants they visit. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
3 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 San Diego 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
9 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Phoenix 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Western Aphideater in Olympic National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Aphideater sighting in Olympic National Park on a given day, based on 8 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.

When is the best time to see a Western Aphideater in Olympic National Park?

May and July

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Aphideater in Olympic National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and August–April, the lowest months. Those are among Olympic National Park's driest months, with about 65 mm of rain a month against 370 mm in November.

What time of day is best to see a Western Aphideater?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Aphideater sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Olympic National Park the best place to see a Western Aphideater?

6th of 6

Of the 6 parks where we can rate Western Aphideater sightings, Olympic National Park ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Channel Islands National Park (United States, about 10%), Great Bear Rainforest (Canada, about 10%) and Banff National Park (Canada, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Western Aphideater live in Olympic National Park?

Same family: Syrphidae

The closest relatives of the Western Aphideater that you can see in Olympic National Park (family Syrphidae, Hover Flies) are Common Drone Fly (about 10%), Western Pond Fly (about 10%) and Black-Margined Flower Fly (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Western Aphideater sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Western Aphideater is recorded against all the insects logged in Olympic National Park (8 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.

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