Lycomorpha pholus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Lycomorpha pholus, the black-and-yellow lichen moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae. It is found in North America from Nova Scotia to North Carolina, west to South Dakota and Texas. The habitat consists of short-grass prairie.
The wingspan is 25–32 mm. The larvae feed on lichen and resemble their host. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-And-Yellow Lichen Moth sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 250th most-seen of the 822 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-And-Yellow Lichen Moth in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and October–May, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-And-Yellow Lichen 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.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Black-And-Yellow Lichen Moth sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 20%) and Acadia National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the Black-And-Yellow Lichen Moth that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Banded Tussock Moth (about 30%), Leconte's Haploa Moth (about 20%) and Giant Leopard Moth (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-And-Yellow Lichen Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (20 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
