Alypia octomaculata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Alypia octomaculata, the eight-spotted forester, is a moth of the family Noctuidae, first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. It is native to Canada, but can be found today throughout Northern America, ranging between Nova Scotia to Florida and South Dakota to Texas. Their habitats are rather specific: they make home where wooded areas meet open fields.
Full grown larvae reach up to 25.4–38 millimetres (1–1+1⁄2 in). The moth is overall black, with two spots on each wing (a total of eight spots). Its forewing ranges between shades of white, cream, or yellow. Their wingspan is around 30–37 millimetres (1.2–1.5 in). These moths are active during the day and night, and are often mistaken as butterflies.
The larvae feed on the underside of leaves and stems of grapevines, peppervines, and Virginia creepers. A. octomaculata larvae are considered somewhat of a pest in commercial and decorative vineyards. When threatened, its first line of defense is to vomit a foul orange-tinted liquid. It escapes by falling off of its perch, still attached to it by the silk thread excreted from its mouth.
Larvae who are still around during the fall like to spin... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eight-Spotted Forester Moth sighting in Toronto on a given day, based on 120 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 191st most-seen of the 1689 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eight-Spotted Forester Moth in Toronto on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eight-Spotted Forester 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.
Among the best
Of the 14 cities where we can rate Eight-Spotted Forester Moth sightings, Toronto ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Austin (United States, about 10%), Montreal (Canada, about 10%) and Detroit (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Eight-Spotted Forester Moth that you can see in Toronto (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are American Dagger (about 10%), Large Yellow Underwing (about 10%) and Armyworm Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eight-Spotted Forester Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Toronto (120 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.
