Coenonympha california
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Coenonympha california, also known as the California ringlet or common ringlet, is a species of butterfly native to North America. Although it has previously been considered a subspecies of Coenonympha tullia, genetic testing suggests it is a separate species.
Extreme phenotypic variation across several geographic ranges and subspecies populations characterizes Coenonympha california's wing shape. The wings' dorsal ground color varies, ranging from mild ochre, deep orange-ochre, yellow, and pale/white. An inconsistent presentation of submarginal eyespots, called ocelli, on the ventral hind wings closely correspond with this variation. Some butterflies can have many well-developed, dark ocelli within a single location, or they can have none at all. Additionally, the species exhibits localized intergradation, where characteristics like eyespot count and ground color create wide, continuous geographic clines instead of distinct morphological boundaries between nominal subspecies.
Coenonympha california contains the following subspecies: Coenonympha california mcisaaci Coenonympha california galactinus Coenonympha california benjamini Coenonympha... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Ringlet sighting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 114th most-seen of the 161 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.
March and April
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Ringlet in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, against under 5% in May, July and September–February, the lowest months. Those are among Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in September.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Ringlet sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Common Ringlet sightings, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Acadia National Park (United States, about 20%), Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 20%) and Rocky Mountain National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Common Ringlet that you can see in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Limenitis bredowii (about 40%), California Tortoiseshell (about 20%) and Pacific Fritillary (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Ringlet is recorded against all the insects logged in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (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.
