Phyciodes phaon
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Phaon Crescent sighting in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 86th most-seen of the 112 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–April, September and November–December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Phaon Crescent in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, May–August and October, 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.
7th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Phaon Crescent sightings, Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Padre Island National Seashore (United States, about 30%), 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 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Pale-Banded Crescent (about 40%), Julia Heliconian (about 40%) and Gulf Fritillary (about 30%), 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 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (6 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.
