Epistrophe eligans
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Epistrophe eligans is a European species of hoverfly. External images For terms see Morphology of Diptera Wing length 6·25-9·5 mm. Eyes bare. Stigma pale yellow. Tergite 4 with smaller yellow markings than tergite 3 or tergite 4 black.
Palaearctic. South Sweden to Iberia. Ireland East through Central and South Europe into Turkey and European Russia as far as the Caucasus. The habitat is deciduous woodland and scrub, suburban gardens, parks. Found by tracksides, clearings. Flowers visited include white umbellifers, Acer pseudoplatanus, Cistus, Crataegus, Endymion, Euonymus, Euphorbia, Ilex, Prunus spinosa, Stellaria, Viburnum opulus.
The flight period is April to June (earlier in southern areas, later at higher altitudes and northerly latitudes). The larva is aphid feeding on shrubs and trees. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 5 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 7 | Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 10 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Spring Epistrophe sighting in Birmingham on a given day, based on 158 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 68th most-seen of the 811 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Spring Epistrophe in Birmingham on a given day, against under 5% in July to March, the lowest months.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spring Epistrophe sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 19 cities where we can rate Spring Epistrophe sightings, Birmingham ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in London (United Kingdom, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spring Epistrophe is recorded against all the insects logged in Birmingham (158 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.
