Grass Emerald

Grass Emerald

Pseudoterpna pruinata

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Cévennes National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

50 Verified sightings at Cévennes National Park From 2019 to 2026
71 In all 3 parks
June Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Grass Emerald

The grass emerald (Pseudoterpna pruinata) is a species of moth. It occurs throughout central and south-eastern Europe (with the exception of the far north) and in Asia Minor and the Caucasus further east to the Urals and Siberia. It is fairly common throughout Great Britain with the exception of northern Scotland. In the southern Alps, it rises up to 1500 metres. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1767.

The wingspan is 30–35 mm. It is green, sometimes more, sometimes less bluish, mixed with whitish, the forewing with two, the hindwing with one dark green transverse line, varying in intensity and in exact position; submarginal line thick, whitish. The variation agrestaria Duponchel is nearly unicolorous, the dark lines being entirely effaced. It possibly tends to form a local race in some places (as southern France) but certainly occurs in others together with the type. The variation virellata Krulikovsky, from eastern Russia, perhaps truly a local race, would appear, from its author's description, to be closely similar to the last-named form, but larger and probably darker, less mixed with white. As fasciata ab. nov. [Prout] may be described... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
2 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
3 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cologne 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Grass Emerald in Cévennes National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grass Emerald sighting in Cévennes National Park on a given day, based on 50 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 204th most-seen of the 996 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.

When is the best time to see a Grass Emerald in Cévennes National Park?

June

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Grass Emerald in Cévennes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Grass Emerald?

Between 10 pm and 1 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grass Emerald sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Cévennes National Park the best place to see a Grass Emerald?

Yes

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Grass Emerald sightings, Cévennes National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Pyrénées National Park (France, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Grass Emerald live in Cévennes National Park?

Same family: Geometridae

The closest relatives of the Grass Emerald that you can see in Cévennes National Park (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Willow Beauty (about 20%), Portland Ribbon Wave (about 10%) and Chimney-Sweeper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Grass Emerald sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Grass Emerald is recorded against all the insects logged in Cévennes National Park (50 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.

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