Sphinx kalmiae
In 3 days ~10%
Sphinx kalmiae, the laurel sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Laurel Sphinx sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 884th most-seen of the 978 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Laurel Sphinx in Chicago on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Laurel Sphinx sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Laurel Sphinx sightings, Chicago ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (United States, under 5%) and Montreal (Canada, under 5%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Laurel Sphinx that you can see in Chicago (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Hummingbird Clearwing (about 10%), Nessus Sphinx (about 10%) and Carolina Sphinx (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Laurel Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Chicago (5 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.
