Pachysphinx modesta
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Pachysphinx modesta, the modest sphinx or poplar sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1839. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Modest Sphinx sighting in Acadia National Park on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 104th most-seen of the 405 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Modest Sphinx in Acadia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to May, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Modest Sphinx sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Modest Sphinx sightings, Acadia National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Riding Mountain National Park (Canada, about 10%) and Isle Royale National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Modest Sphinx that you can see in Acadia National Park (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Blinded Sphinx (about 20%), Hummingbird Clearwing (about 10%) and Northern Pine Sphinx (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Modest Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Acadia National Park (25 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.
