Mellilla xanthometata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Mellilla is a monotypic genus of moths in the family Geometridae erected by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1873. Its only species, Mellilla xanthometata, the orangewing moth, was first described by Francis Walker in 1862. It is found in most of eastern North America.
The wingspan is about 16–21 mm. Adults have been recorded on wing in early spring and again in late June in two generations per year. Adults are active during both the day and night. The larvae feed on Gleditsia triacanthos. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Orange Wing sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 98 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 165th 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.
June to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Orange Wing in Chicago on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Orange Wing sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Chicago, in our data
Chicago is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Orange Wing sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Orange Wing that you can see in Chicago (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Chickweed Geometer Moth (about 10%), Common Tan Wave (about 10%) and Lesser Maple Spanworm Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Orange Wing is recorded against all the insects logged in Chicago (98 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.
