Phyciodes phaon
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Phyciodes phaon, the Phaon crescent or mat plant crescent, is a species of butterfly found in Florida, neighboring states, west to New Mexico and south to Cuba (since the 1930s) and the Cayman Islands where it is known as the crescent spot. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Ciénaga de Zapata | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 4 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 7 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Phaon Crescent sighting in Padre Island National Seashore on a given day, based on 81 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 74 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Phaon Crescent in Padre Island National Seashore on a given day, against about 10% in May and July, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Phaon Crescent sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Phaon Crescent sightings, Padre Island National Seashore has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 30%) and Ciénaga de Zapata (Cuba, about 30%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Phaon Crescent that you can see in Padre Island National Seashore (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Twintip Buckeye (about 40%), Common Buckeye (about 40%) and Variegated Fritillary (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Phaon Crescent is recorded against all the insects logged in Padre Island National Seashore (81 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.
