Sphinx vashti
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Sphinx vashti, the Vashti sphinx, is a member of the family Sphingidae of moths. It is found in North America from British Columbia east to Manitoba, south to southern California, Nevada, central Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas.
The pattern and wing length are highly variable. The forewing ranges from pale to very dark gray with paler gray at the base of the costa, the wing tip, and on the outer margin. A series of black dashes ends with the topmost one reaching the wing tip. The hindwing is black with white bands. There is one brood per year.
The larvae feed on snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) and coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Vashti Sphinx sighting in Yellowstone National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 96th most-seen of the 160 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.
July to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Vashti Sphinx in Yellowstone National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to June, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Vashti Sphinx sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Vashti Sphinx sightings, Yellowstone National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Grand Teton National Park (United States, about 10%) and Glacier National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Vashti Sphinx that you can see in Yellowstone National Park (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are White-Lined Sphinx (about 10%) and One-Eyed Sphinx (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Vashti Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Yellowstone National Park (9 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.
