Spodoptera ornithogalli
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Spodoptera ornithogalli (yellow-striped armyworm, cotton cutworm) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. When first discovered this particular species was thought to be the American representative of S. littoralis as the two species have very similar forms. However, S. ornithogalli is known to have much darker color body with sharper markings.
The wingspan of the adult moth is 32–44 millimetres (1+1⁄4–1+3⁄4 in). The fore-wing is brown with tan markings and a blurry white stripe coming from the wing tip. The hind-wing is white with a thin brown margin. Larvae are black with thin yellow stripes on their sides.
Adults are on wing from April to November depending on the location. Canada: Ontario, Quebec Mexico United States: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-Striped Armyworm Moth sighting in San Diego on a given day, based on 51 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 172nd most-seen of the 693 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 Yellow-Striped Armyworm Moth in San Diego 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 Yellow-Striped Armyworm Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
11th of 15
Of the 15 cities where we can rate Yellow-Striped Armyworm Moth sightings, San Diego ranks 11th at under 5%. The best odds are in Austin (United States, about 10%), Dallas (United States, about 10%) and Baltimore (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-Striped Armyworm Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in San Diego (51 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.
