Acronicta insita
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Acronicta insita, the large gray dagger or fingered dagger, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1874. It is found from Newfoundland west to the Pacific coast and Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, south to North Carolina and Colorado.
Acronicta hesperida and Acronicta dactylina were formerly considered to be separate species, but are now considered a synonym. The wingspan is 45–55 mm. Adults are on wing from May to July in one generation depending on the location.
The larvae feed on alder, birch, poplar, hawthorn and willow. They have fine hairs that are actually hollow, containing a toxin within. If direct contact is made through handling or even indirect contact through clothing, mild to severe rashes may appear for up to a week and may spread easily to other areas of the body through clothing rubbing on exposed area or scratching. Some people react more seriously while others have no reaction at all. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Large Gray Dagger sighting in Seattle on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 275th most-seen of the 428 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.
September
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Large Gray Dagger in Seattle on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months. That is one of Seattle's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain against 190 mm in November.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Large Gray Dagger sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Large Gray Dagger sightings, Seattle ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Vancouver (Canada, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Large Gray Dagger is recorded against all the insects logged in Seattle (10 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.
