Phlogophora meticulosa
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The angle shades (Phlogophora meticulosa) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is distributed throughout Europe as far east as the Urals and also in the Azores, in Algeria, and in Asia Minor, Armenia, and Syria. It is a migratory species.
This species has a wingspan of 45–52 mm and the forewings are very distinctively shaped with a sharply pointed apex. The common name is derived from the characteristic markings on the forewings: the base colour is buffish, brown towards the termen, and is marked with a bold V-shaped pink-and-green marking. Despite this bright colouring, the angular markings provide excellent disruptive patterning camouflage. The hindwings are whitish with darker venation.
The adults fly between May and October in temperate climates. They have two generations or more a year. This moth has a wingspan of 45–52 mm. Forewing whitish ochreous, the base and costal area extensively pinkish; a triangular space on inner margin before the inner line, the terminal area beyond submarginal line, and a costal shade... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 6 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Turin | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 6 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 7 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Bucharest | 🇷🇴 Romania | |
| 9 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Budapest | 🇭🇺 Hungary |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Angle Shades sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 89th most-seen of the 300 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Angle Shades in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and December–April, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Angle Shades 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 8 parks where we can rate Angle Shades sightings, Cairngorms National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Angle Shades that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Large Yellow Underwing (about 20%), Antler Moth (about 20%) and Dark Arches (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Angle Shades is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms National Park (18 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.
