Nadata gibbosa
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The rough prominent (Nadata gibbosa) is a moth of the family Notodontidae, subfamily Phalerinae. It is also known as the white-dotted prominent and the tawny prominent. The species was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797. This common moth is found across North America from the northern boreal forests to as far south as Florida. It is most common in deciduous forests at some elevation. It is nocturnal but attracted to lights. The moths start to fly soon after dusk and return to resting places some time before dawn breaks (Fullard & Napoleone 2001). The adults live through late spring and early summer, and larvae are active until fall. They then pupate until the following spring.
The moth is tan or dull orange, with two small silver spots on each forewing. The wingspan is approximately 2 inches (5 cm). It sports a pointed thoracic tuft between its wings. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-Dotted Prominent sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 144th most-seen of the 723 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-Dotted Prominent in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-Dotted Prominent sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 9 parks where we can rate White-Dotted Prominent sightings, Shenandoah National Park ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 10%), Cape Breton Highlands National Park (Canada, about 10%) and Gros Morne National Park (Canada, about 10%).
Same family: Notodontidae
The closest relatives of the White-Dotted Prominent that you can see in Shenandoah National Park (family Notodontidae, Prominent Moths) are Azalea Caterpillar Moth (about 10%), Mottled Prominent (about 10%) and Saddled Prominent (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-Dotted Prominent is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (26 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.
