Acronicta menyanthidis
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Acronicta menyanthidis, the light knot grass, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed through northern, central and eastern Europe, east to Siberia and the Russian Far East. The wingspan is 33–41 mm. Forewing bluish white, dusted and shaded with dark grey; a short black streak from near base; marginal area darker, sometimes blackish, grey; orbicular stigma quite small.- In the ab. suffusa Tutt the whole forewing is suffused with dark grey. - ab. obsoleta Tutt has the forewing quite pale with all markings faint; on the contrary ab. scotica Tuff from the west coast of Scotland is larger and brighter than the type, with all markings clear and distinct.
The adults fly at night from May to July [1]. They are attracted to light. Recorded food plants include Myrica, Calluna, Vaccinium, Salix, Betula, Ranunculus aconitifolius, Comarum palustre, Lysimachia nummularia and Menyanthes trifoliata.
^The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Light Knot Grass sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 260th most-seen of the 300 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–June and August–September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Light Knot Grass in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and October–April, the lowest months.
Only Cairngorms National Park, in our data
Cairngorms National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Light Knot Grass sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Acronicta
The closest relatives of the Light Knot Grass that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (genus Acronicta, Dagger Moths) are Knot Grass Moth (about 10%), Grey Dagger (about 10%) and Sweet Gale Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Light Knot Grass is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms National Park (5 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.
