Catocala vidua
In 3 days ~10%
Catocala vidua, the widow underwing, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797. It is found in North America from southern Ontario, into Maine, New Hampshire and Connecticut, south at least to Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, west to Texas and Oklahoma, and north to Wisconsin.
The wingspan is 70–80 mm. Adults are on wing from August to October. There is one generation per year. The larvae feed on Carya illinoinensis, Carya ovata, Carya pallida, Juglans cinerea, Juglans nigra, Quercus, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Salix. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Widow Underwing sighting in New York City on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 927th 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Widow Underwing in New York City on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Widow Underwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Widow Underwing sightings, New York City ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Baltimore (United States, under 5%) and Washington (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Widow Underwing is recorded against all the insects logged in New York City (12 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.
