Anthocharis cethura
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Anthocharis cethura, the desert orangetip or Felder's orangetip, is a species of butterfly in the subfamily Pierinae. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it lives on hills and ridges in rocky desert habitat.
The male and female look similar. The wingspan is between 2.6 and 4 centimetres (1 and 1+1⁄2 in). The wings are yellow with an orange patch toward the front of the forewing outlined in black and white. The edges of the wings are spotted with black. The underside of the hindwing has greenish bands.
The adults appear early in the spring. Males congregate in the midday sun to wait for females to emerge, and are more easily observed than females, which are active later in the day. The flight pattern is quick and erratic.
The female lays eggs singly on host plants. The conical eggs are blue green when fresh, then turn orange. During early stages the caterpillar is green with a purple stripe outlined in white. In its last instar it is white with mottled markings. The larvae feed mostly on plants of the mustard family. They have been noted on lyreleaf jewelflower (Streptanthus carinatus), London rocket (Sisymbrium irio), western tansymustard (Descurainia pinnata), sand fringepod (Thysanocarpus curvipes), and California mustard (Streptanthus lasiophyllus).
There are many subspecies. The subspecies A. c. catalina is endemic to Santa Catalina Island, California. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Desert Orangetip sighting in Saguaro National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 116th most-seen of the 354 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Desert Orangetip in Saguaro National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to January, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Desert Orangetip sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Desert Orangetip sightings, Saguaro National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Desert Orangetip is recorded against all the insects logged in Saguaro National Park (22 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.
