Cicindela sexguttata
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The six-spotted tiger beetle, also known as the six-spotted green tiger beetle (Cicindela sexguttata), is a common North American species of tiger beetle in the Cicindelinae subfamily. It is common in many areas of the United States, and is well known. It is recognized for its bright green color and its flight pattern. The beetle is largely harmless to humans and may live as long as three years.
They are commonly found in deciduous forests in between Minnesota, southeastern Canada and south to eastern Texas, excluding the Florida Panhandle, and are easily recognizable by their large, white, overlapping mandibles. The adult is 12–14 mm (1/2-5/8") in length, and has fairly long legs. The mandibles give these attractive insects a ferocious appearance. While tiger beetles are voracious predators of small arthropods, they do not bite humans unless handled. Both the common name and the species name refer to the six small white spots on the beetle's metallic-green to metallic-blue-green elytra. This is not always the case, however, as some individuals may have more spots, fewer spots, or none at all, presumably due to genetic variation. This species is associated with wooded... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 71 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 36th most-seen of the 723 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March to May
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to February, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle sightings, Shenandoah National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 30%) and Congaree National Park (United States, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (71 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.
