Anisota virginiensis
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Anisota virginiensis, the pink-striped oakworm moth, is a species of silk moth of the family Saturniidae. The female's wings are purplish red with ochre-yellow. They have thin scales and are almost transparent. The male's wings are purplish brown with a large transparent space in the middle. The female is larger than the male. The wing span is 4.2 to 6.6 centimeters.
The moth can be found across Canada from Nova Scotia to southeastern Manitoba, and in the United States. It lives in deciduous woodlands and suburbs. Females release a pheromone which attracts males that swarm around her like bees. Mating occurs during the morning. It is a rapid process. The male and female stay together for the rest of the day and then the female finds a place to lay eggs, usually under oak leaves. Such mating swarms have been observed at carrion, where host plants may be higher quality due to the influx of nutrients associated with decomposition.
The caterpillars are gray or greenish with dull brownish yellow or rosy stripes. There are scales on each segment and two long spines on the mesothorax. The caterpillars pupate for a short time. They feed on the foliage... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pink-Striped Oakworm Moth sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 189 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pink-Striped Oakworm Moth in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in February and June–August, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pink-Striped Oakworm Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Pink-Striped Oakworm Moth sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Saturniidae
The closest relatives of the Pink-Striped Oakworm Moth that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (family Saturniidae, Emperor and Giant Silk Moths) are Io Moth (about 10%) and Polyphemus Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pink-Striped Oakworm Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (37 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.
