Neophasia menapia
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Neophasia menapia, the pine white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the western United States and in southern British Columbia, Canada. It is mostly white with black veins and wing bars. The species is similar to Neophasia terlooii but their ranges only overlap in New Mexico.
The wingspan is 42–50 millimetres (1.7–2.0 in). Its habitats include pine forests and Douglas fir forests in northern coastal California. The host plants are Pinus species, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla, Abies balsamea, Abies grandis, and Picea sitchensis. Adults feed on flower nectar from rabbitbrush, other yellow-flowered composites, and monarda.
Neophasia menapia are a univoltine species that lay their eggs on live pine needles, as stated by a scientific research paper ("Phylogeography and the population genertics of pine butterflies") that details the differences between Neophasia. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pine White sighting in Rocky Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 161st most-seen of the 191 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.
September
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pine White in Rocky Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pine White sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Pine White sightings, Rocky Mountain National Park ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Redwood National Park (United States, about 10%), Grand Teton National Park (United States, about 10%) and Olympic National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Pieridae
The closest relatives of the Pine White that you can see in Rocky Mountain National Park (family Pieridae, Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs) are Mead's Sulphur (about 10%), Margined White (about 10%) and Queen Alexandra’s Sulphur (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pine White is recorded against all the insects logged in Rocky Mountain National Park (7 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.
