Nutmeg Moth

Nutmeg Moth

Anarta trifolii

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Madrid

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

6 Verified sightings at Madrid
67 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Nutmeg Moth

The nutmeg (Hadula trifolii or Anarta trifolii), also known as the clover cutworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the Western Palearctic (western Europe, Tunisia, Iran), Niger, and Quebec in North America. In the north of its European range it is a summer migrant, not being able to survive the cold winters.

This is a small to medium (wingspan 33–39 mm) species with cryptically coloured forewings, varying from light to dark brown, sometimes with a reddish tinge. The most characteristic feature is a distinctively W-shaped, white subterminal line. This feature is seen on some other noctuids, but usually much larger species. The hindwings are grey or buff, darker towards the termen, and marked with dark veins.

Forewing grey, dark speckled:costa black-spotted: claviform stigma small: orbicular round, pale, sometimes whitish: reniform large, the lower lobe dark grey, all three finely black-edged; veins towards termen finely black; hindwing

dull whitish, with abroad border and the veins fuscous. — saucia Esp. is the form showing a tendency to an ochreous tint; - in ab. farkasii Tr. the forewing is more variegated... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
2 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
3 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
4 Bucharest 🇷🇴 Romania
~10%
5 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
6 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
~10%
7 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
8 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
<5%
9 Madrid 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
10 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Nutmeg Moth in Madrid?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Nutmeg Moth sighting in Madrid on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 377th most-seen of the 457 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.

When is the best time to see a Nutmeg Moth in Madrid?

June

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Nutmeg Moth in Madrid on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months. That is one of Madrid's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 65 mm in October.

What time of day is best to see a Nutmeg Moth?

Between midnight and 3 am

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

9th of 13

Of the 13 cities where we can rate Nutmeg Moth sightings, Madrid ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Budapest (Hungary, about 20%), Kyiv (Ukraine, about 10%) and Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Nutmeg Moth live in Madrid?

Same family: Noctuidae

The closest relatives of the Nutmeg Moth that you can see in Madrid (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Large Yellow Underwing (about 10%), Silver Υ (about 10%) and Turnip Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Nutmeg Moth sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Nutmeg Moth is recorded against all the insects logged in Madrid (6 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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