Virginia Creeper Sphinx

Virginia Creeper Sphinx

Darapsa myron

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at New York City

In 3 days ~10%

6 Verified sightings at New York City
123 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Virginia Creeper Sphinx

Darapsa myron, the Virginia creeper sphinx or the Green Grapevine Sphinx, is a species of moth in the family Sphingidae. It is found in central and eastern North America. in Canada it is found in southern Ontario and Quebec, and in the United States is found from Maine south to south Florida; west to North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. It is also found in Mexico.

The moths prefer woodland or brush habitats. Adults are usually large with long abdomens ending in a point. The top of the forewing is striped with shades of green to brown and has a dark dot in the middle. The top of the hindwing is orange. Their wings span 2-3 inches.

Known as "hornworms", due to the large blue horn on the posterior end, the young larvae are slim and yellow. Maturing they become darker (green, pink or brown) and gain 7 pairs of diagonal stripes merging into a dorsal black line.

There are five or more annual broods, and larvae can mature in as few as three weeks. Larvae hide on the midribs of their host leaves and are nocturnal feeders. While active from early May to early September it's during June and July that this species is most... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%

Cities Where Found

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

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Virginia Creeper Sphinx in New York City?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Virginia Creeper Sphinx sighting in New York City on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1363rd most-seen of the 1623 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Virginia Creeper Sphinx in New York City?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Virginia Creeper Sphinx in New York City on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Virginia Creeper Sphinx?

Between 9 pm and midnight

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Virginia Creeper Sphinx sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is New York City the best place to see a Virginia Creeper Sphinx?

10th of 10

Of the 10 cities where we can rate Virginia Creeper Sphinx sightings, New York City ranks 10th at under 5%. The best odds are in Austin (United States, about 10%), Baltimore (United States, about 10%) and Montreal (Canada, under 5%).

Where does the Virginia Creeper Sphinx sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Virginia Creeper Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in New York City (6 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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