Smerinthus cerisyi
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Smerinthus cerisyi, the one-eyed sphinx or Cerisy's sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by William Kirby who named the species in honor of Alexandre Louis Lefèbvre de Cérisy in 1837.
It is known from south-eastern Alaska, the southern parts of all Canadian provinces and in the northern border states of the United States south into northern Indiana, Pennsylvania and Ohio and along the west coast to southern California, eastward to the Rocky Mountains and into western New Mexico north to western North Dakota. It has also been recorded from Illinois and as far south as Missouri.
The wingspan is 60-90 mm and the hindwing has a blue eyespot with a black center. The species is univoltine (has a single generation per year) and adults can be found through much of the summer. The adult moths do not feed. The moths are nocturnal and are attracted to light.
The larvae feed on willow (Salix), poplar (Populus), pear (Pyrus communis), plum (Prunus), and snowberry (Symphoricarpos). Smerinthus ophthalmica, formerly listed as a synonym of Smerinthus cerisyi, is thought to be a valid species. In 2018, Smerinthus... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a One-Eyed Sphinx sighting in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 30th most-seen of the 107 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.
May to July
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a One-Eyed Sphinx in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in August to April, the lowest months. Those are among Pacific Rim National Park Reserve's driest months, with about 75 mm of rain a month against 470 mm in November.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most One-Eyed Sphinx sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 13
Of the 13 parks where we can rate One-Eyed Sphinx sightings, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Isle Royale National Park (United States, about 20%), Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 20%) and Grand Teton National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the One-Eyed Sphinx that you can see in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Gaultheria Leafminer Moth (about 20%), Spotted Tussock Moth (about 20%) and Lorquin's Admiral (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the One-Eyed Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (15 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.
