Actinotia polyodon
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Actinotia polyodon, the purple cloud, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in much of the Palearctic realm, from Europe to Russia and Japan. A. polyodon Cl. (= perspicillaris L.) (15 d). Forewing bone-colour suffused with olive brown along costa and inner margin and interrupted along termen; the reniform stigma also placed on an olive brown cloud: costa and space between veins 2 and 4 tinged with purplish pink; a black streak from base in submedian fold and a double one from inner margin near base; reniform stigma large, pale olive with linear centre and outline creamy white; veins towards margin dark, forming centre of wedgeshaped marks, 3, 4 and 7, 8 broadly edged with ground colour and cutting the dark fringe; outer line marked by dark dots on veins: hindwing bone-colour with broad brownish margin and blackish veins. - Larva red-brown, dotted with black; a subdorsal row of oblique brown marks; dorsal and spiracular lines yellow; head brown.
The wingspan is 31–36 mm. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Purple Cloud sighting in Berlin on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 801st most-seen of the 1065 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Purple Cloud in Berlin on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple Cloud 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.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Purple Cloud sightings, Berlin has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Prague (Czechia, under 5%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Purple Cloud that you can see in Berlin (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Large Yellow Underwing (about 20%), Silver Υ (about 10%) and Heart And Dart (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Purple Cloud is recorded against all the insects logged in Berlin (7 verified sightings), 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.
