Primrose Moth

Primrose Moth

Schinia florida

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Acadia National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

14 Verified sightings at Acadia National Park From 2019 to 2026
14 In 1 park
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Primrose Moth

Schinia florida, the primrose moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae described by Achille Guenée in 1852. Its range includes most of temperate North America aside from the west coast. Adults have a pink head and pale yellow to creamy white thorax and abdomen. The forewings are pink with pale yellow markings. The hindwings are creamy white. The wingspan is about 30 mm.

Eggs are laid on the flower buds of evening-primroses (Oenothera spp.), which are the larval host plants. Eggs hatch 4–5 days after being laid. Larvae go through five instars before burrowing into the ground to pupate and overwinter.

There is one generation per year, with the adult flight period timed to coincide with the bud development of its larval host plants. Adults are nocturnal, and often rest in the flowers of evening-primroses during the day. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
2 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
3 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
5 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Primrose Moth in Acadia National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Primrose Moth sighting in Acadia National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 178th 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 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Primrose Moth in Acadia National Park?

July and August

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Primrose Moth in Acadia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Primrose Moth?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Primrose Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see a Primrose Moth?

Only Acadia National Park, in our data

Acadia National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Primrose Moth sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Which relatives of the Primrose Moth live in Acadia National Park?

Same family: Noctuidae

The closest relatives of the Primrose Moth that you can see in Acadia National Park (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are American Dagger (about 10%), Brown-Hooded Owlet (about 10%) and Eastern Panthea Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Primrose Moth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Primrose Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Acadia National Park (14 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.

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