Melanolophia imitata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Melanolophia imitata, the western carpet or green-striped forest looper, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1860. It is found in western North America from southern California, north to Alaska and east to extreme south-western Alberta.
The wingspan is 34–40 mm. Adults are on wing from March to June. There is one generation per year. The larvae feed on the foliage of various conifer trees, but preferring Douglas fir, Tsuga and Abies species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Carpet sighting in Vancouver on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 278th most-seen of the 482 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.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Carpet in Vancouver on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months. That is one of Vancouver's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain against 210 mm in November.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Carpet sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Western Carpet sightings, Vancouver ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Seattle (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Western Carpet that you can see in Vancouver (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Hemlock Looper Moth (about 10%) and Phantom Hemlock Looper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Carpet is recorded against all the insects logged in Vancouver (13 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.
