Alsophila aescularia
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Alsophila aescularia, the March moth, is a species of moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout Europe and can be a pest of fruit trees. It is a well-known species distributed throughout the western Palearctic region except northern Europe, Corsica, Malta, Albania, and the Greek Islands. A few isolated populations live outside of Europe in northern and eastern Turkey, Caucasus, Transcaucasus, and Turkmenistan. Alsophila aescularia has also been reported to exist in the Hyrcanian relic temperate deciduous forests of Iran along the northern slopes of Alborz Mountain Range, called the Caspian Forest.
The wingspan is 25–35 mm. The colour of the forewings varies between pale brownish and grayish brown. There is a well-defined usually dark brown central band. The lines are sharply toothed and on the opposite side to the band they are whitish. A prominent black dot is present on the hind wings. Darkened specimens are rare. In these the lines are extinguished or the butterfly is completely black. The females have no wings and are eight to ten millimeters long. The abdomen is brownish grey, the abdominal hair tuft is about two millimeters wide... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a March Moth sighting in London on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 705th 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 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a March Moth in London on a given day, against under 5% in April to January, the lowest months.
Between 10 pm and 1 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most March Moth sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
4th of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate March Moth sightings, London ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Prague (Czechia, about 10%), Liverpool (United Kingdom, under 5%) and Rotterdam [The Hague] (Netherlands, under 5%).
Same family: Geometridae
The closest relatives of the March Moth that you can see in London (family Geometridae, Geometer Moths) are Riband Wave (about 20%), Least Carpet (about 20%) and Double-Striped Pug (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the March Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in London (28 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.
