Acronicta rubricoma
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Acronicta rubricoma, the ruddy dagger moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from southern Ontario and New York to central Florida, west to Texas and east Kansas. The wingspan is 38–44 mm. Adults are on wing from April to October depending on the location. There are two generations per year.
The larvae feed on elm, hackberry and sumac. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hackberry Dagger sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 104th most-seen of the 189 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.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Hackberry Dagger in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in May to February, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hackberry Dagger sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Hackberry Dagger sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hackberry Dagger is recorded against all the insects logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (10 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.
