Pyrgus ruralis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Pyrgus ruralis, the two-banded checkered skipper, is a species of skipper butterfly (family Hesperiidae). It is found from southern British Columbia and the Rocky Mountains of SW Alberta, with populations south to central California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado, and one population of an endangered subspecies in southern California, in the mountains east of San Diego. That endangered subspecies is ssp. lagunae, known by the common name Laguna Mountains skipper.
The wingspan is 25–29 mm. There is one generation from April to July. The larvae feed on herbaceous plants in the rose family Rosaceae, including Potentilla drummondii, Horkelia fusca, Horkelia tenuiloba and Horkelia bolanderi clevelandii. Adults feed on flower nectar. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Two-Banded Checkered-Skipper sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 192nd most-seen of the 227 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 July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Two-Banded Checkered-Skipper in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months. Those are among Yosemite National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 220 mm in January.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Two-Banded Checkered-Skipper sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all 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 Two-Banded Checkered-Skipper sightings, Yosemite National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 10%) and Olympic National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Two-Banded Checkered-Skipper that you can see in Yosemite National Park (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Sandhill Skipper (about 20%), Propertius Duskywing (about 10%) and Silver-Spotted Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Two-Banded Checkered-Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Yosemite 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.
