Darker-Spotted Straw Moth

Darker-Spotted Straw Moth

Heliothis phloxiphaga

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at San Francisco

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

36 Verified sightings at San Francisco
14 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Darker-Spotted Straw Moth

Heliothis phloxiphaga is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the United States and southern Canada. It feeds on a variety of plants, and the caterpillars are considered pests to certain trees, including Ulmus, Malus, and Prunus. Adults are on-wing during the summer.

Heliothis acesias and Heliothis australis were previously grouped with H. phloxiphaga. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
2 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Darker-Spotted Straw Moth in San Francisco?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Darker-Spotted Straw Moth sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 36 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 263rd 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.

When is the best time to see a Darker-Spotted Straw Moth in San Francisco?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Darker-Spotted Straw Moth in San Francisco on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Darker-Spotted Straw Moth?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Darker-Spotted Straw Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is San Francisco the best place to see a Darker-Spotted Straw Moth?

Among the best

Of the 5 cities where we can rate Darker-Spotted Straw Moth sightings, San Francisco ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Denver (United States, under 5%) and Sacramento (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Darker-Spotted Straw Moth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Darker-Spotted Straw Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (36 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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