Vespula alascensis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Vespula alascensis, also referred to as Alaska yellowjacket or American yellowjacket, is a species of yellowjacket that inhabits North America. Although it was named in 1870, it was, until 2010, treated as a taxonomic synonym of a related species, Vespula vulgaris, but is now recognized as a distinct taxon. Generally it nests in the ground. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an American Yellowjacket sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 571st most-seen of the 723 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.
March and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Yellowjacket in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–August and October–February, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Yellowjacket 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 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate American Yellowjacket sightings, Shenandoah National Park ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Acadia National Park (United States, about 10%), Olympic National Park (United States, about 10%) and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Vespula
The closest relatives of the American Yellowjacket that you can see in Shenandoah National Park (genus Vespula, Ground Yellowjackets) are Eastern Yellowjacket (about 20%), Downy Yellowjacket (about 10%) and Widow Yellowjacket (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American Yellowjacket is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (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.
