Allotria elonympha
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Allotria is a genus of moths in the family Erebidae. It is monotypic, with only a single species, Allotria elonympha, the false underwing moth, which is found in eastern North America. Both the genus and the species were first described by Jacob Hübner, the genus in 1823 and the species in 1818.
The wingspan is 33–44 mm. Adults are on wing from March to September. The larvae feed on various deciduous trees, such as black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), hickory and walnut. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a False Underwing sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 173rd 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 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–June and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a False Underwing in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and September–March, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most False Underwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate False Underwing sightings, Shenandoah National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Erebidae
The closest relatives of the False Underwing that you can see in Shenandoah National Park (family Erebidae, Underwing, Tiger, Tussock, and Allied Moths) are Spongy Moth (about 40%), Isabella Tiger Moth (about 30%) and Hickory Tussock Moth (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the False Underwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (23 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.
