Spilosoma vagans
In 3 days ~20% 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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wandering Tiger Moth sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 116th most-seen of the 227 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Wandering Tiger Moth in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–April, July–August and October–November, the lowest months. That is one of Yosemite National Park's wettest months, with about 180 mm of rain against 25 mm in September.
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.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Wandering Tiger Moth sightings, Yosemite National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Wandering Tiger Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Yosemite National Park (11 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.
