Polystepha pilulae
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Polystepha pilulae, the oak leaf gall midge, is a species of gall midge in the family Cecidomyiidae. It is found in eastern North America. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Oak Leaf Gall Midge sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 303rd 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 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Oak Leaf Gall Midge in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and December–May, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Oak Leaf Gall Midge sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Oak Leaf Gall Midge sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Shenandoah National Park (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Cecidomyiidae
The closest relatives of the Oak Leaf Gall Midge that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Cecidomyiidae, Gall and Forest Midges) are Ocellate Gall Midge (about 10%), Wood Nettle Gall Midge (about 10%) and Goldenrod Bunch Gall Midge (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Oak Leaf Gall Midge is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (19 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.
