Lymantria dispar
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Lymantria dispar, also known as the gypsy moth, and in the United States, the spongy moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae native to Europe and Asia. Lymantria dispar has been introduced to several continents and is now additionally found as an invasive species in Africa, North America and South America. The polyphagous larvae live on a variety of deciduous and coniferous trees and can cause severe damage in years of mass reproduction. Due to these features, Lymantria dispar is listed among the world's 100 worst invasive alien species.
The etymology of "gypsy moth" is not conclusively known; however, the term is known to have been in use (as 'Gipsey') as early as 1832. Moths of the subfamily Lymantriinae are commonly called tussock moths due to the tussock-like tufts of hair on the caterpillars.
The name Lymantria dispar is composed of two Latin-derived words. The generic name Lymantria means 'destroyer'. The species epithet dispar means 'to separate' in Latin; it refers to the sexual dimorphism observed... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 7 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 11 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 12 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 15 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Spongy Moth sighting in Acadia National Park on a given day, based on 60 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 34th most-seen of the 405 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and June–August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Spongy Moth in Acadia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–May and September–December, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spongy 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.
5th of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Spongy Moth sightings, Acadia National Park ranks 5th at about 20%. The best odds are in Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 40%), Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 40%) and Cévennes National Park (France, about 20%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Spongy Moth that you can see in Acadia National Park (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Hickory Tussock Moth (about 30%), Brown-Tail Moth (about 20%) and Isabella Tiger Moth (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spongy Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Acadia National Park (60 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.
