Plusia festucae
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Plusia festucae (gold spot) is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found throughout the Palearctic realm from Ireland to Japan. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gold Spot sighting in Manchester on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 301st most-seen of the 458 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.
May, July and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gold Spot in Manchester on a given day, against under 5% in June, August and October–April, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gold Spot sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Gold Spot sightings, Manchester ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 10%).
Same family: Noctuidae
The closest relatives of the Gold Spot that you can see in Manchester (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Large Yellow Underwing (about 30%), Angle Shades (about 20%) and Silver Υ (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gold Spot is recorded against all the insects logged in Manchester (10 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.
