Pachysphinx modesta
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
Pachysphinx modesta, the modest sphinx or poplar sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1839. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Modest Sphinx sighting in Riding Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 30th most-seen of the 104 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June–July and September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Modest Sphinx in Riding Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to May, the lowest months. Those are among Riding Mountain National Park's wettest months, with about 75 mm of rain a month against 20 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Modest 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.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Modest Sphinx sightings, Riding Mountain National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Isle Royale National Park (United States, about 10%) and Acadia National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Modest Sphinx that you can see in Riding Mountain National Park (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are One-Eyed Sphinx (about 10%), Hummingbird Clearwing (about 10%) and Small-Eyed Sphinx (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Modest Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Riding Mountain National Park (18 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.
