Sphinx kalmiae
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Sphinx kalmiae, the laurel sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Laurel Sphinx sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 721st 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 Laurel Sphinx in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Laurel Sphinx sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
5th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Laurel Sphinx sightings, Shenandoah National Park ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Cape Breton Highlands National Park (Canada, about 10%), Gros Morne National Park (Canada, about 10%) and Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Laurel 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 Laurel Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (8 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.
