Catocala relicta
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Catocala relicta, the white underwing or relict, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1858. It lives in southern Canada, from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, south to Missouri, and Arizona.
The wingspan is 67–75 mm. Adults are on wing from July to September in one generation depending on the location. The larvae feed on Betula papyrifera, Carya ovata, Populus alba, Populus balsamifera, Populus deltoides, Populus nigra, Populus tremuloides, Quercus species, and Salix species (including Salix eriocephala). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White Underwing sighting in Edmonton on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 76th most-seen of the 390 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.
July to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White Underwing in Edmonton on a given day, against under 5% in October to June, the lowest months. Those are among Edmonton's wettest months, with about 65 mm of rain a month against 20 mm in February.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White Underwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 10 cities where we can rate White Underwing sightings, Edmonton has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Montreal (Canada, under 5%) and Boston (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White Underwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Edmonton (37 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.
