Best Time to See Scorpions in the US
May, April and June is the best time to see scorpions in the United States. This is a national picture built from 64,811 verified iNaturalist observations across 36 states, showing when and where scorpions are most active.
By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself.
64,811 verified observations of scorpions in the US, recorded across 12 months of the year on iNaturalist.
When scorpions are recorded in the US
Peak month
May
8,668 records (13.4% of the year)
| Month | Observations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,587 | 2.4% |
| February | 2,279 | 3.5% |
| March | 5,418 | 8.4% |
| Aprilpeak | 8,577 | 13.2% |
| Maypeak | 8,668 | 13.4% |
| Junepeak | 7,692 | 11.9% |
| July | 7,260 | 11.2% |
| August | 7,310 | 11.3% |
| September | 7,276 | 11.2% |
| October | 4,776 | 7.4% |
| November | 2,474 | 3.8% |
| December | 1,494 | 2.3% |
Scorpions you are most likely to see
| Species | Verified observations |
|---|---|
| Striped Bark Scorpion | 15,227 |
| Western Forest Scorpion | 6,834 |
| Stripe-tailed Scorpion | 3,828 |
| Southern Devil Scorpion | 3,015 |
| Arizona Bark Scorpion | 2,831 |
| California common scorpion | 2,627 |
| Desert Hairy Scorpion | 2,585 |
| Northern Scorpion | 1,861 |
Across the country, scorpions sightings peak in May, when 8,668 of the 64,811 annual observations are logged, about 13.4% of the national total. Nationwide activity stays high through May, April and June.
The best states to see scorpions by recorded sightings are California (23,267), Texas (14,652), Arizona (10,567), Nevada (3,691) and Florida (1,906). Each state page below breaks the year down month by month for that state.
The scorpions you are most likely to encounter nationwide are Striped Bark Scorpion, Western Forest Scorpion and Stripe-tailed Scorpion, the most-recorded species across all states combined.
Best states to see scorpions
- scorpions in California23,267 sightings, peak May
- scorpions in Texas14,652 sightings, peak April
- scorpions in Arizona10,567 sightings, peak August
- scorpions in Nevada3,691 sightings, peak June
- scorpions in Florida1,906 sightings, peak May
- scorpions in Utah1,538 sightings, peak April
- scorpions in Oregon1,215 sightings, peak May
- scorpions in New Mexico1,144 sightings, peak August
- scorpions in Alabama1,127 sightings, peak September
- scorpions in Georgia1,070 sightings, peak September
- scorpions in Oklahoma1,062 sightings, peak April
- scorpions in Tennessee647 sightings, peak June
- scorpions in Colorado500 sightings, peak May
- scorpions in Missouri433 sightings, peak May
- scorpions in Kansas303 sightings, peak April
Most-recorded scorpions species nationwide
- Striped Bark Scorpion15,227 records
- Western Forest Scorpion6,834 records
- Stripe-tailed Scorpion3,828 records
- Southern Devil Scorpion3,015 records
- Arizona Bark Scorpion2,831 records
- California common scorpion2,627 records
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to see scorpions in the US?+
May is the single best month nationwide, with the broader peak running through May, April and June, based on 64,811 verified observations across 36 states.
Which states are best for seeing scorpions?+
By recorded sightings, the top states are California, Texas and Arizona. California leads with 23,267 verified observations.
How many scorpions sightings are recorded in the US each year?+
About 64,811 verified scorpions observations are logged on iNaturalist across 36 states with enough data to chart a seasonal pattern.
What kinds of scorpions live in the US?+
The most-recorded species nationwide are Striped Bark Scorpion, Western Forest Scorpion and Stripe-tailed Scorpion, based on all-time iNaturalist counts.
Full scorpions guides by state