Ceratomia catalpae
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Ceratomia catalpae, the catalpa sphinx, is a hawk moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1875. Other common names are the Catawba worm, or Catalpa sphinx. Ceratomia catalpae is a native of southeastern North America and can be located on catalpa trees that grow within this region. It can be found from Maine, west to Iowa, and south to the Gulf States.
From oviposition of the eggs to pupation, about four weeks will pass. Where multiple broods occur, pupae will eclose in two weeks, or when conditions are suitable. Adult C. catalpae do not reflect the wonderful colors of their larvae. They are a dull brown color lacking the show-off appearance of its larval stages.
Translucent, milky-white, green, or yellowish eggs are oval, being about 0.5 mm in diameter. Eggs are deposited in masses of 100-1000 eggs on the undersurface of leaves, while smaller masses are deposited onto branches on the catalpa tree. Eggs incubate and hatch five to seven days after oviposition.
The larval stage of C. catalpae is known as the catalpa, catawba worm, and toppy worm. When first hatching, the larvae are... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Catalpa Sphinx sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 284th most-seen of the 723 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.
June–July and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Catalpa Sphinx in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and October–May, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Catalpa Sphinx sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Shenandoah National Park, in our data
Shenandoah National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Catalpa Sphinx sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Catalpa Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (14 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.
