Griposia aprilina
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Griposia aprilina, also known as the merveille du jour, is a moth of the family Noctuidae, found in Asia and Europe. The species was first described by the Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Forewing whitish green; lines and markings velvety black, the median shade especially thick; upper stigmata large; all the black markings emphasised by white; hindwing blackish grey; the cellspot, outer line, and submarginal shade darker; a white terminal space before the black marginal line; the ab. bouveti Lucas, from France, has the head, thorax, and forewings greener, the median area of forewing without black markings.
Griposia pinkeri (Kobes, 1973) is found sympatrically in Asia Minor and on the Balkan Peninsula. The moth flies in September and October and comes to light. Ovum Eggs are laid singly or in small numbers on branches, or in crevices in the bark of oak trees (Quercus species).
Larva The eggs hatch as the buds swell and the young larva bore into a bud which conceals them as they feed. They then feed on the flowers and grow rapidly and finally on the leaves.... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Merveille Du Jour sighting in London on a given day, based on 70 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 488th 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.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Merveille Du Jour in London on a given day, against under 5% in December to September, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Merveille Du Jour sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 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 Merveille Du Jour sightings, London has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Vienna (Austria, under 5%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Merveille Du Jour that you can see in London (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Large Yellow Underwing (about 30%), Heart And Dart (about 20%) and Shuttle-Shaped Dart (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Merveille Du Jour is recorded against all the insects logged in London (70 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.
