Lintneria eremitus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Lintneria eremitus, the hermit sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1823. It is found in the temperate areas of the eastern United States, north into southern Canada over the Great Plains. It prefers gardens and yards, but is common wherever the nectar and larval host plants are found. This moth is easily confused with the Canadian sphinx (Sphinx canadensis) but these two moths do not typically co-occur.
The wingspan is 65–75 mm. There is one generation per year with adults on wing from late June to August. They nectar at deep-throated, light-colored flowers such as phlox (Phlox species) or milkweed (Asclepias species). Adults typically fly at dusk. They are easily attracted to light.
The larvae feed on many plants in the family Lamiaceae, such as Lycopus, Mentha, Monarda and Salvia species. Larvae have green, black, or brown coloration. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Hermit Sphinx sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 722nd most-seen of the 723 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Hermit Sphinx in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hermit Sphinx sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Shenandoah National Park, in our data
Shenandoah National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Hermit Sphinx sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Hermit Sphinx that you can see in Shenandoah National Park (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Snowberry Clearwing (about 20%), Hummingbird Clearwing (about 10%) and Virginia Creeper Sphinx (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hermit Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (5 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.
