Erannis defoliaria
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The mottled umber (Erannis defoliaria) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is common throughout much of the Palearctic region. The species was first described by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1759. Only males of the species have wings, the female is completely wingless. Patterns on wings vary by specimen, the wingspan is 30-40mm. The adults fly from October to December in temperate climates.
The female of this species is wingless and rather spider-like and can be found on the trunks and stems of its larval food plants. She is white or yellow-and-black patched. The male is fully winged and very variable. The ground colour of the forewing is pale yellow or light yellow ochre and suffused dark grey. The basal and distal fasciae are dark brown. The basal fascia is bordered on the inner side by a brown cloud; the distal fascia has a brown cloud on the outer edge. There is also a brown cloud along the costa. There are two dark brown oblong spots in the upper half of the terminal area. The hindwing is grey white with grey suffusion. There is a grey-black discal spot on both wings. There are numerous and significant deviations from... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mottled Umber sighting in Cévennes National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 666th most-seen of the 996 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.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mottled Umber in Cévennes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, July–October and December–March, the lowest months. That is one of Cévennes National Park's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain against 35 mm in July.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mottled Umber sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Mottled Umber sightings, Cévennes National Park ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany, about 10%), Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary, about 10%) and Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the Mottled Umber 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.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mottled Umber is recorded against all the insects logged in Cévennes National Park (8 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.
