Goldenrod Bunch Gall Midge

Goldenrod Bunch Gall Midge

Rhopalomyia solidaginis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Chicago

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

83 Verified sightings at Chicago
25 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Goldenrod Bunch Gall Midge

Rhopalomyia solidaginis, the goldenrod bunch gall, is a species of gall midges, insects in the family Cecidomyiidae. The galls of this species have the following host species of goldenrods: Solidago altissima, Solidago canadensis, and Solidago rugosa. They have been found across eastern North America.

This species is bivoltine and induces different bud galls in the spring and summer on three different host plants. The spring galls are small and difficult to locate. Galled plants are sometimes stunted. Each gall typically contains only one chamber in the middle of the apical meristem and contains a single larva. Occasionally 2-3 chambers are found in the same gall and may be attached to each other longitudinally.

For the summer galls there are white chambers that are similar to those in the spring galls appear in mid-July. Each chamber contains a single larva that faces downwards and is surrounded by a group of short and narrow leaves, which are in turn surrounded by longer and wider leaves that form a distinct subunit within the gall. Typically, 2-5 subunits are clumped together at the shoot apex to form a rosette gall that is 3–5 cm in diameter.

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Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
2 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
2 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
4 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
5 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
7 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Goldenrod Bunch Gall Midge in Chicago?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Goldenrod Bunch Gall Midge sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 83 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 184th most-seen of the 978 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.

When is the best time to see a Goldenrod Bunch Gall Midge in Chicago?

July–October and December–January

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Goldenrod Bunch Gall Midge in Chicago on a given day, against under 5% in February–June and November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Goldenrod Bunch Gall Midge?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Goldenrod Bunch Gall Midge sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Chicago the best place to see a Goldenrod Bunch Gall Midge?

Yes

Of the 7 cities where we can rate Goldenrod Bunch Gall Midge sightings, Chicago has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (United States, under 5%) and Montreal (Canada, under 5%).

Where does the Goldenrod Bunch Gall Midge sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Goldenrod Bunch Gall Midge is recorded against all the insects logged in Chicago (83 verified sightings), 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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