Amblyptilia pica
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Amblyptilia pica, the geranium plume moth, is a moth of the family Pterophoridae. The species was first described by Baron Walsingham in 1880. It is found in western North America from Alaska to California, inland to Alberta and Kansas. It is also found in the north-eastern United States and Ontario.
The wingspan is 18–23 millimetres (0.71–0.91 in). Adults have dark grey forewings mottled with black. They are on wing in spring and fall and have been recorded feeding on the flower nectar of Salix species. The larvae feed on Scrophulariaceae, Geraniaceae, Primulaceae, Labiatae and Caprifoliaceae species, including Castilleja species, Pedicularis furbishiae and Scrophularia californica, Penstemon whippleanus. and mine the leaves. The species overwinters as an adult. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Geranium Plume Moth sighting in Banff National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 89th most-seen of the 105 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
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Geranium Plume Moth in Banff National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Geranium Plume Moth sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Banff National Park, in our data
Banff National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Geranium Plume Moth sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Geranium Plume Moth that you can see in Banff National Park (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Pearl Crescent (about 30%), Alfalfa Looper (about 20%) and Milbert's Tortoiseshell (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Geranium Plume Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Banff National Park (5 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.
