Bronze Alder Moth

Bronze Alder Moth

Argyresthia goedartella

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at London

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

36 Verified sightings at London
58 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Bronze Alder Moth

Argyresthia goedartella, the bronze alder moth, is a species of moth of the family Argyresthiidae. This very common species can be found in most of Europe and in North America. Argyresthia goedartella has a wingspan of 10–13 mm. These tiny moths have pale ochreous head with white antennae and white forewings with coppery-golden markings. A characteristic coppery-golden Y-shaped marking is present in the middle of the wings. Hindwings are dark gray. Abdomen is grayish fuscous, while legs are brownish white.

It is a univoltine species. These moths fly from May to October.[1] They fly at night and on sunny afternoons and mainly feed on the nectar of tansy (Tanacetum vulgare). The larvae feed on birch (Betula species) and alder (Alnus glutinosa). They overwinter in a shoot or hard male catkin of the host plants. In late March or April, larvae congregate and pupate in a cocoon under the bark.

^The flight season refers to Belgium and The Netherlands. This may vary in other parts of the range. Media related to Argyresthia goedartella at Wikimedia Commons waarneming.nl (in Dutch) Lepidoptera... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
3 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
4 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
~10%
2 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
3 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
4 Stockholm 🇸🇪 Sweden
<5%
5 Rotterdam [The Hague] 🇳🇱 Netherlands
<5%
6 Moscow 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%
7 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
8 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
9 Nizhny Novgorod 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%
10 Saint Petersburg 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Bronze Alder Moth in London?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bronze Alder Moth sighting in London on a given day, based on 36 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 644th most-seen of the 1504 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.

When is the best time to see a Bronze Alder Moth in London?

July and August

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bronze Alder Moth in London on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Bronze Alder Moth?

Between 11 pm and 2 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bronze Alder Moth 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 London the best place to see a Bronze Alder Moth?

7th of 11

Of the 11 cities where we can rate Bronze Alder Moth sightings, London ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Helsinki (Finland, about 10%), Birmingham (United Kingdom, about 10%) and Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%).

Where does the Bronze Alder Moth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Bronze Alder Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in London (36 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.

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