Spilosoma vagans
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wandering Tiger Moth sighting in Yellowstone National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 127th 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.
June and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wandering Tiger Moth in Yellowstone National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–August and October–May, the lowest months.
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.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Wandering Tiger Moth sightings, Yellowstone National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 10%) and Yosemite National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Wandering Tiger Moth that you can see in Yellowstone National Park (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Police Car Moth (about 20%), Spotted Tussock Moth (about 10%) and Isabella 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 Yellowstone National Park (5 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.
