Spodoptera ornithogalli
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Spodoptera ornithogalli (yellow-striped armyworm, cotton cutworm) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. When first discovered this particular species was thought to be the American representative of S. littoralis as the two species have very similar forms. However, S. ornithogalli is known to have much darker color body with sharper markings.
The wingspan of the adult moth is 32–44 millimetres (1+1⁄4–1+3⁄4 in). The fore-wing is brown with tan markings and a blurry white stripe coming from the wing tip. The hind-wing is white with a thin brown margin. Larvae are black with thin yellow stripes on their sides.
Adults are on wing from April to November depending on the location. Canada: Ontario, Quebec Mexico United States: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Striped Armyworm Moth sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 204th most-seen of the 329 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.
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Striped Armyworm Moth in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October and December–August, the lowest months. That is one of Big Bend National Park's wettest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 10 mm in April.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-Striped Armyworm Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Yellow-Striped Armyworm Moth sightings, Big Bend National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 10%) and Shenandoah National Park (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-Striped Armyworm Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Bend National Park (10 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.
