Spilosoma vagans
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Spilosoma vagans, the wandering diacrisia or wandering tiger moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae. It was described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1852. It is found in western North America, from southern California, southern Utah and central Colorado north to southern British Columbia and south-western Alberta. The habitat consists of drier forests, including open ponderosa pine forests and mixed hardwood-conifer forests.
The length of the forewings is 14–18 mm. Adults are on wing from late April to early August. The larvae feed various herbaceous plants. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wandering Tiger Moth sighting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 54th most-seen of the 161 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Wandering Tiger Moth in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, against under 5% in July to April, the lowest months. That is one of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 190 mm in January.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Wandering Tiger Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Wandering Tiger Moth sightings, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Yosemite National Park (United States, about 10%) and Yellowstone National Park (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Wandering Tiger Moth that you can see in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Douglas-Fir Tussock Moth (about 20%), Edwards' Glassy-Wing (about 10%) and Painted Tiger Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Wandering Tiger Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (12 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.
