Epimecis hortaria
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Epimecis hortaria, the tulip-tree beauty, is a moth species of the Ennominae subfamily found in North America. It is found throughout New England south to Florida and west to Texas and Missouri. It was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1794. It can be seen flying from late March to early October. Adults are nocturnal and attracted to lights. The immature caterpillars can be found feeding on Magnolia, Asimina, Populus, Sassafras and Liriodendron. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Tulip-Tree Beauty sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 64 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 48th most-seen of the 723 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Tulip-Tree Beauty in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to March, the lowest months.
Between midnight and 3 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tulip-Tree Beauty sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Tulip-Tree Beauty sightings, Shenandoah National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 30%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Tulip-Tree Beauty that you can see in Shenandoah National Park (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Pale Beauty (about 10%), Large Maple Spanworm Moth (about 10%) and White-Striped Black (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tulip-Tree Beauty is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (64 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.
