Colostygia multistrigaria
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Colostygia multistrigaria, the mottled grey, is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. It is found in western and south-western Europe and North Africa. The habitat is damp woodlands, heaths, and mosses. The wingspan is 26–31 millimetres (1.0–1.2 in). The ground colour is grey mottled with brown. The forewings have a weak darker central band. The basal patch, central band, and shade before the whitish submarginal line are also sometimes darker. The hindwings are pale whitish grey.
The caterpillar is ochreous grey, with three brownish lines along the back, and two other lines on each side, the upper one yellowish, wavy, and edged above with dusky. The larva is uniformly cylindrical, brown-grey, tinged with green dorsally, rather paler ventrally. There is a blackish dorsal
line, at least on the last few segments. The spiracles are minute, blackish. The pupa is dark reddish, dorsally and anally more black. Adults are on wing from March to April in one generation per year. The larvae feed on Galium species. Larvae can be found from March to June. The species overwinters in the pupal stage. About dusk the moths may be seen on the lower parts of fences, tree-trunks, rocks, sitting on grass and other vegetation. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mottled Grey sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 299th most-seen of the 300 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mottled Grey in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to January, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mottled Grey 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.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Mottled Grey sightings, Cairngorms National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mottled Grey is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms National Park (7 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.
