Korscheltellus gracilis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The conifer swift moth (Korscheltellus gracilis) is a swift moth considered a forest pest in eastern and central North America, from Canada south to North Carolina. Larvae feed primarily on roots of evergreen trees, and are weakly polyphagous, able to survive on deciduous trees (e.g. birches, Betula) but preferring balsam fir and red spruce. They penetrate bark, but lesions on roots are shallow. These wounds may, however, provide easy entry for pathogenic fungi and nematodes. K. gracilis has been shown to reduce survival on saplings, but adult trees have been found with more than 30 feeding scars on their roots. But trees that are weakened by air pollution or changes in soil chemistry may invite K. gracilis infestation. Adults can be found in woody areas between June and August. They are cryptically colored, but are active for 20–40 minutes each dawn and twilight, and occasionally come to light. In the conifer swift moth, courtship, mating, and egg laying occur during evening hours; only oviposition occurs in the morning. They are Exoporia, and females scatter eggs while in flight. It takes two years for the larvae to mature, so populations tend towards two-year cycles. Females emit pheromones to attract males, from organs on their hind wings. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Conifer Swift Moth sighting in Acadia National Park on a given day, based on 109 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 202nd most-seen of the 405 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.
July and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Conifer Swift Moth in Acadia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Conifer Swift Moth sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Acadia National Park, in our data
Acadia National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Conifer Swift Moth sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Conifer Swift Moth that you can see in Acadia National Park (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Monarch (about 40%), Hickory Tussock Moth (about 30%) and American Lady (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Conifer Swift Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Acadia National Park (109 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.
