Catocala relicta
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Catocala relicta, the white underwing or relict, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1858. It lives in southern Canada, from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, south to Missouri, and Arizona.
The wingspan is 67–75 mm. Adults are on wing from July to September in one generation depending on the location. The larvae feed on Betula papyrifera, Carya ovata, Populus alba, Populus balsamifera, Populus deltoides, Populus nigra, Populus tremuloides, Quercus species, and Salix species (including Salix eriocephala). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White Underwing sighting in Acadia National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 270th most-seen of the 405 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White Underwing in Acadia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to August, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White Underwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate White Underwing sightings, Acadia National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 20%).
Same genus: Catocala
The closest relatives of the White Underwing that you can see in Acadia National Park (genus Catocala, Underwing Moths) are Ilia Underwing (about 10%) and Sordid Underwing (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White Underwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Acadia National Park (7 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.
