Autographa californica
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Autographa californica, the alfalfa looper, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Adolph Speyer in 1875. It is found in western North America from southern British Columbia to Baja California and to Manitoba, South Dakota, Colorado and New Mexico.
The wingspan is 36–42 mm. The moth flies from July to October depending on the location. The larvae feed on a wide range of plants. Recorded food plants include species of families Apiaceae, Aquifoliaceae, Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, Brassicaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Ericaceae, Eschscholzia, Fabaceae, Grossulariaceae, Liliaceae, Lamiaceae, Linaceae, Malvaceae, Plantaginaceae, Poaceae, Podocarpaceae, Polygonaceae, Rhamnaceae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Solanaceae and Verbenaceae. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Alfalfa Looper sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 79 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 168th most-seen of the 737 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.
October
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Alfalfa Looper in San Francisco on a given day, against under 5% in November to September, the lowest months. That is one of San Francisco's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 110 mm in December.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Alfalfa Looper sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 11
Of the 11 cities where we can rate Alfalfa Looper sightings, San Francisco ranks 10th at under 5%. The best odds are in Calgary (Canada, about 10%), Edmonton (Canada, about 10%) and Sacramento (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Alfalfa Looper is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (79 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.
