Opisthograptis luteolata
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The brimstone moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It should not be confused with the brimstone butterfly Gonepteryx rhamni.
This species is unmistakable within its range, with bright yellow wings marked with small brown patches along the costa of the forewing and a small brown-edged white stigma, also on the forewing. The wingspan is 33–46 mm. "0. luteolata L. The only European species. The name-typical form has on the forewing red-brown costal markings at the base, at the discal mark and triangularly at the apex; faint, irregularly grey antemedian and postmedian lines, interrupted at the veins. Hindwing with dark discal dot and faint grey postmedian line. — aestiva Vorh. & Müll.-Rutz is a smaller, more deeply coloured summer brood form. It seems to be the principal or only form in Tunis. — ab. flavissima Krulik. is almost entirely yellow, only with slight remnants of the costal markings. — ab. albescens Ckll. has the ground colour pure white instead of yellow. Very pale yellow examples have been separated as intermedia Harrison... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Essen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 7 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 8 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 10 | Porto | 🇵🇹 Portugal |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brimstone Moth sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 85th 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.
May and June
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Brimstone Moth in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and October–April, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brimstone Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
4th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Brimstone Moth sightings, Cairngorms National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 30%), Mercantour National Park (France, about 10%) and Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 10%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Brimstone Moth that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Chimney-Sweeper (about 20%), Bordered White (about 20%) and Common Heath (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brimstone Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms National Park (19 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.
