Lucerne Moth

Lucerne Moth

Nomophila nearctica

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Los Angeles

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

45 Verified sightings at Los Angeles
55 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Lucerne Moth

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
2 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Detroit 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Houston 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lucerne Moth in Los Angeles?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lucerne Moth sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 45 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 276th most-seen of the 851 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Lucerne Moth in Los Angeles?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lucerne Moth in Los Angeles on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Lucerne Moth?

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.

Is Los Angeles the best place to see a Lucerne Moth?

18th of 21

Of the 21 cities where we can rate Lucerne Moth sightings, Los Angeles ranks 18th at under 5%. The best odds are in Austin (United States, about 10%), Dallas (United States, about 10%) and Baltimore (United States, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Lucerne Moth live in Los Angeles?

Same family: Crambidae

The closest relatives of the Lucerne Moth that you can see in Los Angeles (family Crambidae, Crambid Snout Moths) are Jalisco Petrophila (about 10%) and Inornate Pyrausta Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Lucerne Moth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Lucerne Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Los Angeles (45 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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