Virginia Creeper Sphinx

Virginia Creeper Sphinx

Darapsa myron

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Big Cypress National Preserve

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

8 Verified sightings at Big Cypress National Preserve From 2019 to 2026
123 In all 5 parks
May Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Virginia Creeper Sphinx

Darapsa myron, the Virginia creeper sphinx or the Green Grapevine Sphinx, is a species of moth in the family Sphingidae. It is found in central and eastern North America. in Canada it is found in southern Ontario and Quebec, and in the United States is found from Maine south to south Florida; west to North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. It is also found in Mexico.

The moths prefer woodland or brush habitats. Adults are usually large with long abdomens ending in a point. The top of the forewing is striped with shades of green to brown and has a dark dot in the middle. The top of the hindwing is orange. Their wings span 2-3 inches.

Known as "hornworms", due to the large blue horn on the posterior end, the young larvae are slim and yellow. Maturing they become darker (green, pink or brown) and gain 7 pairs of diagonal stripes merging into a dorsal black line.

There are five or more annual broods, and larvae can mature in as few as three weeks. Larvae hide on the midribs of their host leaves and are nocturnal feeders. While active from early May to early September it's during June and July that this species is most... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
4 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
7 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Houston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Virginia Creeper Sphinx in Big Cypress National Preserve?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Virginia Creeper Sphinx sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 220th most-seen of the 262 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 Virginia Creeper Sphinx in Big Cypress National Preserve?

May and August

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Virginia Creeper Sphinx in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, against under 5% in March–April, July and September–January, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Virginia Creeper Sphinx?

Between 9 pm and midnight

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Virginia Creeper Sphinx sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Big Cypress National Preserve the best place to see a Virginia Creeper Sphinx?

Among the best

Of the 5 parks where we can rate Virginia Creeper Sphinx sightings, Big Cypress National Preserve ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 10%), Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 10%) and Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Virginia Creeper Sphinx live in Big Cypress National Preserve?

Same family: Sphingidae

The closest relatives of the Virginia Creeper Sphinx that you can see in Big Cypress National Preserve (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Grote's Sphinx (about 10%), Cypress Sphinx (about 10%) and Tersa Sphinx (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Virginia Creeper Sphinx sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Virginia Creeper Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Big Cypress National Preserve (8 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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