Nomophila nearctica
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Nomophila nearctica, the lucerne moth, clover nomophila, false webworm, celery stalkworm or American celery webworm, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It is known from southern Canada and all of the United States, south to Mexico and the Neotropics.
The wingspan is 24–35 mm. Adults are on wing from April to November in North America. The larvae feed on celery, grasses, lucerne, Medicago sativa, Polygonum, Melilotus and various other low-growing herbaceous plants. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | 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 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lucerne Moth sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 268 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 66th most-seen of the 978 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.
May to October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lucerne Moth in Chicago on a given day, against under 5% in November to April, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lucerne Moth 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 21 cities where we can rate Lucerne Moth sightings, Chicago ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Austin (United States, about 10%), Dallas (United States, about 10%) and Baltimore (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Crambidae
The closest relatives of the Lucerne Moth that you can see in Chicago (family Crambidae, Crambid Snout Moths) are Celery Leaftier Moth (about 10%), Elegant Grass-Veneer (about 10%) and Bluegrass Webworm Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lucerne Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Chicago (268 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.
