Autographa precationis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Autographa precationis (common looper moth) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in eastern and central North America. The wingspan is 30–38 mm. Adults are on wing from April to October depending on the location. There are three or more generations per year.
The larvae feed on various forbs, including Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Convolvulaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Plantaginaceae and Verbenaceae species. The common looper is thought to have recently moved into the greater niche provided by more soybean planting in its range, with larvae observed in the wild feeding on soybean plants in addition to their usual fare. Notably, their digestibility and efficiency of food utilization for soybeans was not as high as with Pseudoplusia includens, suggesting host plant preference for common loopers is slightly different. Visually, the two species are strikingly similar, so it is easy to confuse the two, but notably the silver spots on the wings of the Common Looper are usually conjoined, while the spots on the wings of P. includens are separated, and their wings are shinier than those of A. precationis. Larvae of this species have 21–23... 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 | |
| 2 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Looper Moth sighting in New York City on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 543rd most-seen of the 1623 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Looper Moth in New York City on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Looper Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
8th of 8
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Common Looper Moth sightings, New York City ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Chicago (United States, about 10%), Boston (United States, under 5%) and Toronto (Canada, under 5%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Common Looper Moth that you can see in New York City (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Large Yellow Underwing (about 10%) and American Dagger (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Looper Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in New York City (27 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.
